y2.,/8-./<^. 


^i  ttlf  ^i!^olagict,i 


>  PRINCETON,  N.  J.  -  ^ 


Dia;ision...L^Z).  L^lo  CLyD 
Section  .^X,^  (  CD'^^ 


m 


THE 


ACTS 


OF 


THE    APOSTLES 


WITH   A 


COMMENTARY. 


BY 
ABIEL  ABBOT  LIVERMORE. 


BOSTON: 

JAMES    MUNROE    AND    COMPANY. 

LONDON: 

JOHN  CHAPMAN,   121  NEWGATE  STREET. 

1844. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1844,  by 

Abiel   Abbot    Liver  more, 

in  the  Ck'rk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  Massachusetts. 


STEREOTYPED    AT  THE 
BOSTON   TYPE    AND   STEREOTYPE    FOUNDRY. 


PREFACE. 


The  kind  approval  of  friends,  and  the  generous  patronage  of  the 
public,  for  which  the  author  feels  a  lively  gratitude,  have  operated 
with  other  and  more  serious  motives,  and  induced  him  to  add  to 
the  Commentary  upon  the  Gospels  one  upon  the  Acts  of  the  Apos- 
tles. Like  the  previous  volumes,  this  has  been  prepared  in  the 
midst  of  many  professional  duties  and  cares;  which  are  mentioned, 
not  by  way  of  complaint,  —  for  experience  teaches  us  that  the  most 
energetic  exercise  of  our  faculties,  consistent  with  health,  yields 
the  greatest  happiness,  — but  they  are  stated,  as  excuses  for  imper- 
fections, and  foils  to  a  keen-edged  criticism. 

All  the  aids  that  could  be  procured,  in  ancient  or  modern  com- 
mentators, have  been  resorted  to,  and  the  results  embodied  in  the 
following  pages,  rather  than  the  processes  and  reasonings  by  which 
those  results  were  obtained.  The  work  has  been  composed,  less 
for  the  learned  or  professional  man,  than  for  the  general  reader, 
who,  it  is  hoped,  in  most  instances,  will  be  content  to  trust  the 
honesty  and  veracity  of  the  writer,  and  not  care  to  have  the  mar- 
gins crowded  with  a  multiplicity  of  references  to  tome,  book, 
chapter,  section,  and  edition,  where  a  remark  may  be  found,  or  a 
fact  confirmed.  The  reputation  of  a  learned  work  might  be  thus 
enhanced  at  little  cost,  except  of  paper  and  print;  but  it  is  thought 
that  it  would  add  scarcely  any  thing  to  the  value  of  an  exposition  of 
this  description.     A  catalogue  below  will  indicate  the  authorities 


4  PREFACE, 

and  helps  which  have  been  investigated,  and  more  or  less  used,  as 
occasion  required.* 

The  Map,  appended  to  this  volume  by  the  liberality  of  the  Pub- 
lishers, will  also  be  found,  perhaps,  in  some  measure  serviceable  in 
studying  the  geography  of  the  Gospels. 

The  Calendar  of  Events  is  drawn  from  various  sources,  and  es- 
sentially corresponds  to  the  chronology  of  Lardner. 
)  The  Vocabulary  of  Proper  Names  is  designed  to  assist  in  the 
pronunciation  of  words  which,  being  derived  from  the  Greek  or 
Latin  language,  are  difficult  for  an  English  reader  to  accentuate 
correctly.  This  list  is  principally  derived,  though  altered,  from  the 
excellent  Commentary  upon  the  Acts  by  Professor  Ripley. 

The  author  is  solely  responsible  for  the  captions  of  the  chapters. 

It  is  the  present  intention  of  the  writer,  should  life  and  strength 
be  spared  by  a  gracious  Providence,  to  publish,  in  process  of  time, 
a  Commentary  upon  the  remaining  books  of  the  New  Testament ; 
though  the  uncertainties  of  life,  and  of  life  in  the  ministerial  pro- 
fession at  the  present  day,  are  too  numerous  not  to  rebuke  any  very 
presuming  or  assured  plans  of  so  great  pith  and  moment. 


*  The  Versions  and  Editions  of  Luther,  Griesbach,  Tyndale  by  Dabney, 
Beza,  Sacy,  Wakefield,  Thomson,  Palfrey,  the  Catholic  Testament,  and  the 
Improved  Version. 

The  Commentaries  of  Poole,  Fratres  Poloni,  Pearce,  Hammond,  Le  Clerc, 
Lightfoot,  Henry,  Whitby,  Goadby,  RosenmUller,  Kuinoel,  Doddridge,  Stack, 
Scott,  Priestley,  Clarke,  Kenrick,  Dabney,  Trollope,  Olshausen,  Bloomfield, 
Barnes,  and  Ripley. 

MS.  notes  of  the  valuable  Lectures  of  Norton  and  Palfrey ;  Calmet's  Dic- 
tionary ;  the  Pictorial  Bible ;  Robinson's  Greek  Lexicon  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment ;  Wilson's  Concessions ;  the  Septuagint ;  Josephus ;  Eusebius  ;  and  the 
Works  of  Haynes,  Paley,  Gerard,  Symonds,  Jahn,  Winer,  Prideaux,  Hug, 
Cappe,  Lardner,  Home.  Watson,  Lyttleton,  Burder,  the  Abbotts,  Greenwood, 
Furness,  Allen,  W,  J.  Fox,  Farmer,  Milman,  Neander,  Robinson's  Researches, 
Spear ;  General  Repository,  Scriptural  Interpreter,  and  other  periodicals. 


PREFACE.  5 

With  heartfelt  remembrances  of  the  aid  and  approval  of  the  past, 
from  his  friends  and  Christian  brethren,  and  with  fervent  thank- 
fulness to  Heaven  for  its  care  and  support  during  the  progress  of 
this  labor,  the  author  commits  his  work  to  the  reader.  May  it  not 
prove  wholly  unavailing  in  the  cause  of  Christ ;  but  promote,  as 
is  its  aim,  the  high  and  immortal  interests  of  Christian  knowl- 
edge, liberty,  holiness,  charity  and  piety  ! 

Keene,  N.  H.,  April  26,  1844. 


CALENDAR 


SOME  OF  THE  PRIJNCIPAL  EVENTS  DURING  THE  FIRST  CENTURY 

OF  THE  CHRISTIAN  ERA,  CHIEFLY  CONNECTED    WITH  THE 

ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES,  AND  THEIR  EPISTLES. 


B.  C. 
6. 

5.     Birth  of  John  tlie  Baptist. 

Birth  of  Jesus  Christ. 
2.     Death  of  Herod  the  Great,  and  the  accession  of  Archelaus. 
Mat.  ii.  19,  22. 
A.  D. 

7.     Archelaus  deposed,  and  Judea  reduced  to  a  Roman  province. 
14.    Tiberius  succeeds  Augustus  as  Emperor  of  Rome. 
26.    Pontius  Pilate  appointed  Procurator  of  Judea. 
Ministry  of  John  the  Baptist. 
Baptism  of  Jesus. 
Ministry  of  Jesus  Christ. 
29.     His  Crucifixion,  Resurrection,  and  Ascension. 

The  Descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit  on  the  day  of  Pentecost    Acts  ii. 

Cure  of  the  lame  man.     Chap.  iii. 

The  Death  of  Ananias  and  Sapphira.     Chap.  v. 

The  Apostles  imprisoned. 

35.  The  Martyrdom  of  Stephen.     Chap.  vii. 

36.  Pontius  Pilate  removed. 
Saul  converted.     Chap.  ix. 

His  residence  of  three  years  in  Arabia. 

37.  Caligula,  Roman  Emperor. 

39.    The  Christian  Churches  enjoy  rest 

41.  The  Conversion  of  Cornelius.     Chap.  x. 
Claudius  Cesar,  Roman  Emperor. 

42.  Barnabas  and  Paul  come  to  Antioch. 

The  Disciples  first  called  Christians  at  Antioch. 
44.    The  Persecution  of  Herod.    Chap.  xii. 


CALENDAR  OF  EVENTS.  7 

44.     Death  of  Herod.     Famine  in  Judea. 
45-47.     Paul  and  Barnabas  set  out  from  Antioch  on  the  first  apostolical 
journey,  chaps,  xiii.  xiv.,  and  visit  Cyprus  and  Asia  Minor. 
49.     Council  at  Jerusalem.     Chap.  xv. 
50-53.     Paul's  second  journey  with  Silas ;  then  with  Timothy,  and  with 
Luke,  in  which  he  visits  Asia  Minor,  Macedonia,  and  Greece. 
Chaps,  xvi.  -  xviii. 

51.  The  Jews  expelled  from  Rome  by  Claudius. 

52.  Paul  is  supposed  to  write  his  Epistles  to  the  Thessalonians,  and 

perhaps  that  to  the  Galatians,  from  Ephesus. 

53.  Agrippa,  King.     Felix,  Procurator. 

Paul  goes  to  Ephesus ;  whence  he  wrote  his  First  Epistle  to  the 
Corinthians. 

54.  Nero,  Emperor  of  Rome. 

56.  Paul  wrote  his  First  Epistle  to  Timothy,  and  that  to  Titus.     He 

commences  his  third  journey  from  Ephesus,  and  visits  Mace- 
donia and  other  places. 

57.  He  wrote  his  Second  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians  from  Macedonia. 

58.  He  wrote  his  Epistle  to  the  Romans  from  Corinth,  and  journeyed 

thence  to  Macedonia,  Asia  Minor,  Syria,  and  Jerusalem.  He 
is  imprisoned,  and  sent  to  Cesarea,  where  he  is  confined  two 
years.     Chaps,  xx.  -  xxiv. 

60.  Festus,  Procurator  of  Judea.     Paul's  Defence  before  Agrippa, 

He  is  sent  to  Rome,  but  is  shipwrecked  on  the  Island  of  Malta. 
Chap,  xxvii. 

61.  Paul  arrives  at  Rome,  where  he  remains  in  confinement  two 

years ;  during  which  time  he  wrote  his  Epistles  to  the  Ephe- 
sians,  Philippians,  Colossians,  and  Philemon,  and  Second  to 
Timothy.     Chap,  xxviii. 

63.  Paul  liberated.     He  visits  Greece. 

64.  He  returns  to  Rome,  writes  tlie  Second  Epistle  to  Timothy,  and 

is  beheaded  by  Nero. 
64  -  67.     First  Persecution  of  the  Christians  at  Rome. 
Peter  crucified. 
64.    Gessius  Florus,  Procurator  of  Judea. 
66.    The  great  Jewish  war  begun. 
70.    Jerusalem  taken  by  Titus,  and  destroyed,  with  many  thousands 

of  its  inhabitants. 
95.    The  Second  Persecution  against  the  Christians,  under  Domitian, 
the  Roman  Emperor. 
John  is  supposed  to  have  been  banished  to  the  Island  of  Patmos. 
100.     The  apostle  John  is  believed  to  have  died  about  this  period  — 
the  last  survivor  of  the  Twelve. 


PRONOUNCING    VOCABULARY 


THE  MORE  DIFFICULT  JNAMES  OF  PERSONS  AJ\D  PLACES  OC- 
CURRING IN   THE  ACTS. 

[Chiefly  taken  from  Ripley's  Notes,  with  cdtercUions.) 


The  accented,  and  long  and  short  syllables,  are  denoted  by  the  usual  marks. 


A. 

C. 

A-cel'da-ma 

Ca'ia-phas 

A-cha'ia 

Kd-ya 

A-kd'ya 

Can'da-ce 

A'dri-a 

Cen'chre-a 

Ad-ra-myt'ti-um 

kre— 

Ag'a-bus 

Ces-a-re'a 

Al-phe'us 

Chal-de'ans 

Am-phip'o-lis 

Kol 

An-a-ni'as 

Char'ran 

An-tip'a-tris 

Kar — 

Ap-ol-lo'ni-a 

Chi'os 

Ap'pi-i-Fo-rum 

Ki- 

Aq'ul-lii,  or  A-quil'a 

Chi'un 

Ak'we-la,  or  A-kwil-d 

Ki 

Ar-e-6p'a-gus 

Cni'dus 

Ar-e-op'a-gite 

M-— 

iitr 

Co'os 

jue 

Ar'e-tas 

Cor/inth 

A-zo'tus 

Crete 

Kreei 

B. 

Cy-re'ne 

Be-re^a 

Ber-ni'ce 

D. 

Bi-thyn'i-a 

Dam'a-ris 

Dei^be 
Di-a'na 

E. 

El'am-ites 

E]'y-mas 

E'ne-as 

Eph'e-sus 

Ep-i-cu-re'ans 

E-sa'ias 

E-zd'yas 

Eu-rocly-don 

Eu'ty-chus 

kus 

G. 

Ga'ius 
— yus 
Ga-ma'li-el 


L. 

La-se'a 
Lib'er-tines 

tins 

Lyc-a-6'ni-a 


PRONOUNCING  VOCABULARY. 


M. 

Phi-lip'pi 

Sop^a-ter 

Man'a-en 

Phryg'i-a 

Sos'tlie-nes 

Mel'i-ta 

Frij — 

Sto'ics 

Mi-le'tus 

Pris-cil'la 

Sy'chem 

Mit-y-le'ne 

Proch'o-rus 

kem 

JWna'son 

Prok 

Syr'a-case 

JVd 

Ptol-e-ma'is 

My'ra 

Tol 

T. 

Pu-te-6'li,  or  Pu-te'6-li 

The-oph'i-lus 

N. 

Thes-sa-l6-ni'c 

Ne-ap'o-lis 

R. 

Theu'das 

Ni-ca'nor 

Rhe'gi-um 

Ti-mo'the-us 

Ni'ger 

> 

Thy-a-ti'ra 

—jer 

Rhodes 

Tro'as 
Tro-gyl'li-um 

0. 

S, 

jil • 

Ol'i-vet 

Sad'du-cees 

Troph'i-mus 

Sal-mo'ne 

Tych'i-cus 

P. 

Sam-o-thra'cr-a 
Sap-phi'ra 

rn^.l. 

Pat'a-ra 

jyfc 
Tyre 

Pha'raoh 

Sa'ron 

Fd'ro 

Sce'va 

Z. 

Phe-ni'ce 

Si 

Ze-lo'tes 

AN   INTRODUCTION 

TO    THE 

ACTS   or   THE   APOSTLES 


"  The  Acts  of  the  Apostles  "  is  a  general  title,  equivalent  to  the 
Life  or  History  of  the  Apostles,  and  includes  not  only  their  actions,  but 
also  their  sayings.  There  is  no  evidence  that  this  heading,  though  early 
given  to  it,  was  assigned  by  the  author.  This  book  was  variously  styled 
by  the  ancient  fathers  "The  Fifth  Gospel,"  "The  Gospel  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,"  "The  Gospel  of  the  Risen  Jesus  Christ,"  as  terms  descriptive  of 
its  contents  and  object 

The  location  of  this  book,  in  the  volume  of  the  New  Testament,  is,  in 
several  old  manuscripts  and  versions,  after  the  Epistles  of  Paul ;  but  the 
fact  of  its  being  a  species  of  appendix  to  the  Gospels,  and  an  introduction 
to  the  Epistles,  justifies  its  present  position.  Lardner  says,  that  Luke's 
Gospel  was  undoubtedly  placed  in  the  Evangelicon,  or  witli  the  other 
Gospels ;  and  the  Acts,  probably,  in  the  Apostolicon,  or  with  the  Epistles. 

Its  author  was  Luke,  the  Evangelist,  as  appears  from  the  specific  decla- 
ration of  chap.  i.  1,  compared  with  Luke  i.  3,  who  wrote  this  treatise  as  a 
second  part,  or  supplement,  to  his  Gospel,  and  was  himself  a  witness  to 
some  of  the  events  of  his  history.  Acts  xvi.  10  - 17,  xx.  xxi.  xxvii.  xxviii. 
The  voice  of  the  learned  has  identified  him  with  the  physician  mentioned 
by  Paul,  Col.  iv.  14.  The  style  of  this  work  resembles  that  of  the  Gospel 
according  to  Luke,  and  many  cases  of  similitude  have  been  adduced  by 
the  comment^ors.  There  are  traces,  not  to  be  mistaken,  of  an  acquaint- 
ance with  the  purer  and  classical  models  in  the  Greek  language,  such  as 
would  be  likely  to  be  familiar  to  an  intelligent  professional  man.  Besides 
the  express  statement  of  the  introduction,  and  the  uniformity  of  style,  Luke's 
authorship  is  substantiated  by  the  joint  assertion  of  Christian  antiquity. 
This  work  is  in  all  the  Catalogues  of  the  books  of  the  New  Testament 
The  Acts  are  referred  to  by  Clement  of  Rome,  A.  D.  96,  —  Ignatius,  A.  D. 
107,  — Polycarp,  A.  D.  108,  — Justin  Martyr,  A.  D.  140,  —  Polycrates, 
A.  D.  196.  This  book  is  quoted,  and  ascribed  to  Luke,  by  Irenseus, 
A.  D.  178,  — Clement  of  Alexandria,  A.  D.  194.      Tertullian,  A.  D.  200, 


INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES.   11 

calls  it  "  Luke's  Commentary,"  or  history.  Origen,  A.  D.  230,  speaks  of 
"  Luke  who  wrote  the  Gospel  and  the  Acts."  Jerome,  A.  D.  392,  says, 
"  The  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  another  work  of  Luke  the  physician,  whose 
praise  is  in  the  Gospel,  (2  Cor.  viii.  18,)  contain  the  history  of  the  infancy 
of  the  church."  Augustine,  A.  D.  395,  says  that  "  Luke,  after  having 
written  a  Gospel,  even  one  of  the  four  which  are  in  so  high  esteem,  con- 
taining a  history  of  Christ's  words  and  works,  and  the  time  of  his  resur- 
rection and  ascension,  wrote  such  an  account  of  the  acts  of  the  Apostles 
as  he  judged  to  be  sufficient  for  the  edification  of  believers ;  and  it  is  the 
only  history  of  the  Apostles  which  has  been  received  by  tlie  church,  all 
others  having  been  rejected,  as  not  to  be  relied  upon."  He  adds,  "  Mark 
and  Luke  wrote  at  a  time  when  their  writings  might  be  approved,  not  only 
by  the  church,  but  also  by  apostles  still  living."  Chrysostom,  A.  D.  398, 
says,  "Luke  leaves  us  thirsting  for  more;  but,  if  he  had  proceeded,  it 
would  have  been  only  a  repetition  of  like  discourses  and  works,  like  dangers, 
difficulties,  and  sufferings."  Eusebius,  of  the  fourth  century,  says,  "Luke, 
who  was  born  at  Antioch,  and  by  profession  a  physician,  being  for  the  most 
part  connected  with  Paul,  and  familiarly  acquainted  with  the  rest  of  the 
Apostles,  has  left  us,  in  two  inspired  books,  the  institutes  of  that  spiritual 
healing  art  which  he  obtained  from  them.  One  of  tliese  is  his  Gospel,  m 
which  he  testifies  that  he  has  recorded  '  as  those  who  were  from  the  begm- 
ning  eye-witnesses  and  ministers  of  the  word '  delivered  to  him ;  whom, 
also,  he  says,  he  has  in  all  things  followed.  The  other  is  his  Acts  of  the 
Apostles,  which  he  composed,  not  from  what  he  had  heard  from  others,  but 
from  what  he  had  seen  himself."  The  early  fathers  multiply  the  same  tes- 
timony. Araton,  a  sub-deacon  in  the  church  at  Rome  in  the  sixth  century, 
versified  tlie  Acts  of  the  Apostles. 

The  date  of  the  work  is  fixed  at  about  A.  D.  64,  since  the  history  comes 
down  to  the  period  of  Paul's  imprisonment  in  Rome,  yet  does  not  relate  his 
martyrdom,  which  is  supposed  to  have  occurred  in  A.  D.  65  or  66,  at  that 
city,  under  the  reign  of  Nero.  The  place  of  its  composition  was  probably 
Greece  or  Rome,  though  nothing  is  certain  respecting  it.  The  expression 
in  chap.  i.  19,  "their  proper  tongue,"  would  imply  tliat  Luke  was  not  in 
Judea.  It  has  been  conjectured  that  Theophilus  was  an  honorable  Gentile 
convert  to  Christianity. 

Though  entitled  "  The  Acts  of  the  Apostles,^''  tlie  object  of  the  writer 
was  clearly  not  to  narrate  the  lives  of  all  the  Twelve,  but  simply  and 
briefly  to  furnish  a  species  of  memoirs,  or  a  journal  of  the  most  important 
travels  and  discourses,  especially  of  tlie  two  great  leaders  —  Peter,  the 
Apostle  to  those  of  the  circumcision ;  and  Paul,  the  Apostle  to  the  Gen- 
tiles ;  not  excluding  the  sayings  and  doings  of  several,  as  Stephen,  Philip, 
and  Barnabas,  who  were  not  strictly  Apostles.  He  relates  by  no  means  all 
tlie  history  of  Peter  and  of  Paul,  the  chief  heroes  of  the  book;  but,  induced, 
apparently,  by  a  desire  of  brevity,  gives  only  some  of  the  most  important 


V2      INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES. 

facts.  The  work  may  be  deemed  as  a  kmd  of  ecclesiastical  sketch-book 
of  the  most  important  transactions  touching  the  infant  church  of  Christ 
from  the  moment  of  his  ascension,  during  nearly  thirty  years,  until  a  short 
time  before  the  great  Jewish  war.  The  importance  of  the  book  is  seen, 
from  the  fact  that,  while  there  are  four  Gospels  to  describe  the  advent  of 
the  Messiah,  there  is  only  this  authentic  liistory  of  the  planting  of  his 
church,  during  the  first  generation.  As  containing  the  fulfilment  of  oui 
Lord's  promise  of  the  descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon  his  disciples,  and 
the  glorious  opening  of  the  gates  of  the  church  to  receive  the  Gentiles, 
untrammelled  by  Jewish  bondage,  nothing  can  exceed  the  value  and  interest 
of  this  wonderful  history ;  which  is  no  longer  deeply  wonderful  only  be- 
cause our  eyes  have  seen  it  so  long,  and  conned  it  over  so  familiarly.  But 
let  the  rod  of  Heaven  smite  the  rock,  and  the  living  stream  will  again  flow. 

The  credibility  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  rests  not  only  on  the  externa] 
evidence  already  suggested,  but  has  likewise  strong  internal  foundations. 
One  branch  of  this  proof,  the  undesigned  coincidences  between  the  history 
by  Luke  and  the  letters  by  Paul,  has  been  beautifully  and  powerfully  de- 
veloped by  Dr.  Paley,  in  his  celebrated  Horse  Paulinas.  Besides,  an  air 
of  truth  pervades  the  whole  book,  an  indescribable  sense  of  reality,  subtile 
as  the  principle  of  life,  and  also  as  powerful.  The  writer  has  fearlessly 
croAvded  his  pages  with  names,  dates,  facts,  that  would  prove  the  swift-con- 
demning witnesses  of  a  forger.  He  has  boldly  narrated  the  faults  of  his 
compeers,  as  if  he  were  an  uninterested  spectator,  and  left  the  truth  to  take 
care  of  itself!  Sublime  faith  of  the  disciple,  who,  like  his  Divine  Master, 
coveted  no  sword  but  the  sword  of  the  Spirit  to  open  the  way  for  the 
coming  of  the  Heavenly  Kingdom  on  earth ! 

An  intelligent  understanding  of  this  work,  as  of  all  ancient  books,  de- 
mands an  acquaintance  with  ancient  geography,  history,  and  opinions,  the 
manners  and  customs  of  both  Jews  and  Gentiles,  and  the  obstacles  which 
sprang  up  in  the  path  of  the  first  preachers  of  Christianity,  both  from  reli- 
gion and  irreligion,  —  from  prince  and  from  people,  —  from  superstition 
and  from  philosophy.  To  elucidate  these  subjects,  as  well  as  to  throw 
into  their  proper  and  natural  perspective  the  great  doctrines  and  duties 
of  our  faith,  is  attempted  —  how  successfully,  is  left  to  the  candid  reader 
to  judge  —  in  the  following  pages. 


THK 
ACTS  OF  THE   APOSTLES. 

CHAPTER  I. 

The  Ascension  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  Choice  of  Matthias  as  an  Apostle. 
IHE  former  treatise  have  I  made,  O  Theophilus,  of  all  that 

2  Jesus  began  both  to  do  and  teach,  until  the  day  in  which  he  was 
taken  up,  after  that  he  through  the  Holy  Ghost  had  given  com- 

3  mandments  unto  the  apostles  whom  he  had  chosen :  tb  whom 


CHAPTER  I. 
1.  The  former  treatise.  Or,  book ; 
or,  history ;  for  so  the  Greek  author- 
izes us  to  translate.  A  clear  refer- 
ence is  here  made  to  the  Gospel  ac- 
cording to  Luke,  to  which  the  present 
work  stands  in  the  character  of  a 
second  part,  or  supplement.  The 
chain  of  direct  connexion  consists 
in  the  identity  of  the  person  to 
whom  both  works  are  dedicated.  — 
Theophilus.  We  possess  no  knowl- 
edge of  this  individual,  beyond  the 
mere  mention  of  his  name  in  this 
passage,  and  in  Luke  i.  3.  But 
this  fact  suggests  the  probability 
that  he  was  a  Christian  of  distinc- 
tion and  esteem,  a  friend  of  the 
writer,  perhaps  a  civil  officer,  and, 
judging  by  the  name,  of  Grecian 
origin.  —  Ml,  i.  e.  a  full  history,  not 
literally  all.  See  John  iv.  29,  xxi. 
25.  —  Began  both  to  do  and  teach. 
This  expression  is  sometimes  con- 
strued as  meaning,  that  the  Gospel 
by  Luke  described  the  beginning 
of  Christianity,  with  the  labors  of 
Jesus,  but  that  the  Acts  was  in- 
tended to  relate  its  progress  under 
the  descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and 
the  administration  of  the  apostles; 
in  fact,  a  species  of  second  advent 
of  Christ,  in  the  extension  and  power 
of  his  religion.  Others  regard  be- 
gan as  an  intensive  word,  expressive 
of  the  greatness  or  difficulty  of  the 
work.  But  the  more  natural  Avay  is 
to  consider  the  sentence  a  Hebrew 
idiom,  meaning,  simply,  all  that  Je- 

VOL.    HI.  2 


sus  did  and  taught ;  "  began  "  being 
redundant  A  division  is  here  made 
between  what  he  did,  and  what  he 
taught,  or  his  miracles  and  his  in- 
structions, the  two  leading  forms  in 
which  his  spirit  manifested  itself. 

2.  Until  the  day.  During  the 
forty  days  intervening  between  the 
resurrection  and  ascension,  our 
Lord  continued  to  teach  and  to 
work  miracles  as  before  his  death. 
Luke  xxiv.  45 ;  John  xxi.  6.  —  He 
ivas  taken  up.  Such  expressions 
imply  that  he  was  not  the  cause, 
but  the  object,  of  the  miraculous 
power  exerted  at  his  ascension. 
Ver.  9.  —  Through  the  Holy  Ghost, 
or  Spirit;  i.  e.  through  divine  in- 
spiration. It  has  been  a  question 
among  critics,  to  what  member  of 
the  sentence  tliis  clause  properly 
belongs:  some  decide  in  favor  of 
its  present  location;  others  connect 
it  with  "  taken  up  ;"  and  others  with 
"  had  chosen."  The  latter  construc- 
tion has  the  great  weight  of  Gries- 
bach  in  its  favor,  who  points  the 
original  to  read  thus :  "  after  tliat 
he  had  given  commandments  unto 
the  apostles,  whom  he  had  chosen 
through  the  Holy  Spirit"  — ifarf 
given  commandments.  Literally,  "  had 
commanded."  One  of  his  principal 
commands  was  to  "  preach  the  gos- 
pel to  every  creature."  Mat.  xxviiL 
19;  Markxvi.  15. 

3.  To  whom  also  he  showed  him' 
self.  As  the  apostles  were  chosen 
with   a  special    reference    to  their 


14 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


also  he  showed  himself  alive  after  his  passion,  by  many  infallible 
proofs,  being  seen  of  them  forty  days,  and  speaking  of  the  things 
pertaining  to  the  kingdom  of  God  :  and  being  assembled  together  4 
with  them,  commanded  them  that  they  should  not  depart  from 
Jerusalem,  but  wait  for  the  promise  of  the  Father,  which,  saith 
he,  ye  have  heard  of  me.  For  John  truly  baptized  with  water  ;  3 
but  ye  shall  be  baptized  with  the  Holy  Ghost  not  many  days 


office  as  witnesses,  Jesus  appeared 
most  frequently  to  them,  though  he 
did  also  to  others,  and  at  one  time 
to  more  than  five  hundred.  1  Cor. 
XV.  6.  —  AJler  his  passion.  This 
has  a  technical,  theological  sense, 
as  applied  to  the  Saviour.  It  means 
the  sufferings  of  death.  —  By  many 
infallible  proofs.  The  length  of 
time  he  appeared  —  during  "  forty 
days  "  —  the  number  of  persons  to 
whom  he  showed  himself,  the  va- 
riety of  circumstances  under  Avhich 
he  appeared,  his  eating,  walking,  con- 
versing, teaching,  working  miracles, 
showing  his  wounds,  the  identity  of 
character  he  exhibited,  constitute 
what  may,  without  exaggeration,  be 
called  "  infallible  proofs,"  that  Jesus 
rose  from  the  dead.  This  doctrine 
is  fortified  by  so  many  evidences, 
that  every  shadow  of  doubt  is  dis- 
sipated. —  Forty  days.  This  length 
of  time  gives  additional  force  to 
the  argument  for  the  resurrection. 
—  Speaking  of  the  things,  ^'c.  He 
still  is  interested  in  the  great  object 
for  which  he  died.  We  recognize 
the  same  Jesus  in  the  traits  of  his 
character,  as  well  as  the  wounds  of 
his  body.  The  kingdom  of  God  is 
ever  uppermost  in  his  thoughts ;  for 
this  he  lives,  dies,  and  rises  again. 
The  instructions  which  he  gave  at 
this  time  are  partly  detailed  in  the 
Gospels,  and  in  the  present  chapter ; 
they  probably  related  to  the  real 
character  of  his  kingdom  as  a  spirit- 
ual reign,  and  to  the  duties  devolv- 
ing upon  the  apostles  in  their  un- 
tried condition. 


4.  Being  assembled  together  with 
(hem.  Having  met  with  them.  Mar- 
gin *  reads,  "  eating  together ; "  but 
it  is  unauthorized.  The  more  exact 
version  would  be,  "  having  assembled 
them  togetlier,"  taking  the  Greek 
participle  in  tiie  middle  voice,  and 
with  the  active  sense.  Jesus  brought 
them  together  by  his  own  summons. 
—  JS'ot  depart  from  Jerusalem.  No 
revenge  was  harbored  in  the  bosom 
of  tlie  Crucified  One.  The  city  of 
Caiaphas,  and  Pilate,  of  scribes  and 
Pharisees,  of  the  cross  and  the 
tomb,  was  to  be  the  central  point 
of  the  gospel  radiation.  Here  was 
the  seat  of  worship  of  the  one  God, 
and  the  solemn  associations  of  centu- 
ries. Here  were  the  chief  witnesses 
to  the  life,  death,  and  resurrection, 
of  our  Lord;  here  the  most  impor- 
tant scenes  in  the  Divine  tragedy. 
Here  God  would  vindicate  his  Son 
by  the  descent  of  the  Spirit  on  his 
apostles.  It  was  not  without  good 
reasons  that  he  bade  them  remain 
in  "  Jerusalem."  —  l^he  promise  of 
the  Father,  i.  e.  the  promise  of  the 
descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit  made  by 
the  Father  through  Christ.  Luke 
xxiv.  49;  John  xiv.  10,  17,  2G,  xv. 
26,  xvi.  7.  Here,  as  elsewhere,  tlie 
Father  is  represented  as  the  primary 
source  of  all  spiritual  influence  and 
hfe. 

5.  With  water  —  with  the  Holy 
Ghost.     See  Mat  iii.  11;  Luke  iii. 


*  By  the  marginal  roa<ling3  are  meant  those 
made  by  King  James'  translators,  but  which 
they  considered  inferior  to  the  text,  and  there- 
fore threw  into  the  margin. 


I.]  OF  THE  APOSTLES.  15 

6  hence. When  they  therefore  were  come  together,  they  asked 

of  him,  saying,  Lord,  wilt  thou  at  this  time  restore  again  the 

7  kingdom  to  Israel  ?    And  he  said  unto  them.  It  is  not  for  you  to 
know  the  times  or  the  seasons  which  the  Father  hath  put  in  his 


16 ;  John  i.  33.  The  prediction  of 
John  the  Baptist  Avas  now  to  be 
consummated.  He  baptized,  indeed, 
with  the  purifying  element  of  water ; 
but  there  would  be  a  baptism,  under 
the  new  dispensation,  of  a  higher 
degree,  —  a  baptism  of  a  holy  breath, 
wind,  chap.  ii.  2,  spirit,  a  still  more 
subtile  element  The  fine  figure  con- 
tained in  the  original  is  lost  in  our 
translation,  and  the  unauthorized 
addition  made  of  the  article  "  the." 
Note  on  Mat.  iii.  11.  To  be  bap- 
tized with  a  holy  Spirit,  was  to  be 
imbued  with  it.  —  JVot  many  days 
hence.  This  appears  to  be  spoken 
only  a  short  time  before  the  ascen- 
sion, which,  according  to  Carpenter, 
occurred  about  nine  days  only  be- 
fore the  feast  of  Pentecost  and  the 
gift  of  the  Spirit. 

6  - 12.  Parallel  with  Mark  xvl  19 ; 
Luke  xxiv.  50  -  53. 

6.  Were  come  together.  On  a  dif- 
ferent occasion  from  that  spoken  of 
in  ver.  4,  5,  and  upon  the  Mount  of 
Olives,  ver.  12.  —  Wilt  thou  at  this 
time  restore  again.  Or,  simply,  "  re- 
store." This  question  reveals  in  the 
clearest  manner  the  state  of  tlie 
apostles.  Their  minds  were  still 
haunted  with  their  old  visions  of 
royalty,  temporal  sovereignty.  The 
fall  of  Jesus  had  for  a  time  damped 
their  ardor  ;  but,  when  he  came  forth 
the  conqueror  over  death  and  the 
grave,  all  their  hopes  came  to  life 
again  with  him.  They  saw  their 
Master  king,  Israel  triumphant,  and 
Roman  and  Greek  bend  the  knee  in 
subjection.  True,  in  common  with 
their  countrymen,  they  believed  that 
pure  religion  was  to  be  the  great 
end  of  this  Jewish  victory ;  that  the 
worship  of  one  God  was  to  be  estab- 


lished over  the  earth.  But  much 
selfishness  and  ambition  had  room 
to  mingle  in  this  brilliant  dream. 
They  would  be  the  ministers  and 
favorites  of  the  king,  and  they  now 
ask  him,  with  assured  tone,  the  ques- 
tion of  the  text.  Of  the  great  event 
itself  they  had  no  doubt :  they  sim- 
ply confine  their  inquiries  to  the 
point  of  time  when  it  would  occur, 
and  whether  it  would  take  place 
immediately.  He  had  told  them  to 
await  the  coming  of  the  Spirit  at 
Jerusalem :  they  virtually  ask,  in  their 
simplicity,  whetlier  it  was  to  the  in- 
auguration of  the  new  sovereign  to 
his  office.  —  To  Israel.  It  was  the 
favorite  idea  of  the  Jews  that  their 
Messiah  would,  at  his  coming,  ele- 
vate their  nation  to  a  far  prouder 
eminence  than  it  enjoyed  even  un- 
der their  most  powerful  kings,  David 
and  Solomon,  and  that  Jerusalem 
would  become  the  metropolis  of  the 
earth. 

7.  It  is  not  for  you  to  knoiv,  ^c. 
This  was  a  rebuke  of  their  idle  cu- 
riosity and  their  worldly  ambition. 
There  was  no  time  now  to  make 
explanations.  They  were  not  yet 
prepared  to  know  the  true  character 
and  the  probable  period  of  Christ's 
kingdom  being  established,  but  their 
prejudices  would,  after  a  while,  wear 
away.  God  had  reserved,  too,  in  his 
own  omniscience,  the  great  epochs  of 
Christianity.  Even  Christ  professes 
his  ignorance  of  them,  and  thus  ac- 
knowledges the  superiority  of  the 
Father,  either  by  implication  or  as- 
sertion. Mat.  xxiv.  36;  Mark  xiii. 
32 ;  John  xiv.  28.  Various  times  and 
seasons  have  been  reserved  in  the 
divine  jurisdiction  ;  as  the  period  of 
Christ's  coming,  which  took  place  at 


16 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


own  power.     But  ye  shall   receive  power   after  that  the  Holy  8 
Ghost  is  come  upon  you  :   and  ye  shall  be  witnesses  unto  me,  both 
in  Jerusalem,  and  in  all  Judea,  and  in  Samaria,  and  unto  the 


the  overthrow  of  Jerusalem  and  Ju- 
daism ;  the  prevalence  of  Christian- 
ity over  the  earth ;  the  end  of  the 
•world ;  the  day  of  our  death ;  the 
eras  of  retribution  and  immortality. 
Deut  xxix,  29.  Man  can  calculate 
the  revolutions  of  Saturn,  or  Hal- 
ley's  comet,  but  not  the  times  and 
seasons  of  human  affairs.  It  has 
been  wisely  and  kindly  ordered 
that  we  should  be  ignorant  of  many 
things.  Knowledge  is  not  always  a 
blessing.  If  we  knew  the  events  of 
the  future,  we  might  be  distracted 
in  our  devotion  to  the  duties  of  the 
present  An  acquaintance  with  our 
coming  fortunes  would  be  incon- 
sistent with  free  choice  and  human 
agency.  The  obscurity  before  us 
leads  us  to  watch,  and  pray,  and 
labor.  "The  veil  wliich  covers  the 
face  of  futurity  is  woven  by  the 
hands  of  Mercy."  —  Tht  times  or  the. 
seasons  Wakefield  renders,  "those 
seasons  of  time."  —  Hath  put  in  his 
oion  power.  Rather,  "disposed  ac- 
cording to  his  OAvn  authority." 

8.  But  ye  shall  receive  power,  %'c. 
This  clause  would  be  more  properly 
rendered,  as  in  the  English  margin, 
"  but  ye  shall  receive  the  power  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  coming  upon  you." 
The  word  "  poAver "  is  different  in 
the  original  from  the  word  thus  ren- 
dered in  ver.  8,  and  which  is  better 
translated  "authority."  Though  it 
was  not  given  them  to  know  the 
times  and  seasons,  they  would  re- 
ceive the  miraculous  gifts  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  —  a  prediction  Avhich 
was  soon  fulfilled  on  the  day  of 
Pentecost.  They  had  the  greatest 
work  to  do,  and  they  needed  the 
greatest  assistance,  —  Witnesses  un- 
to me.  Literally,  "  martyrs."  Not  that 
they  would  certainly  be  put  to  death. 


though  many  of  them  v/ere  killed 
for  the  sake  of  the  gospel ;  but  the 
word  refers  more  to  the  witness  they 
would  bear  than  the  manner  in  which 
they  would  bear  it.  The  apostles 
were  selected  with  a  special  refer- 
ence to  this  end,  that  having  first 
been  admitted  to  an  intimate  ac- 
quaintance with  the  life,  character, 
miracles,  and  teachings,  of  our  Lord, 
with  his  death,  resurrection,  and  as- 
cension, they  should  go  forth  to  bear 
testimony  of  all  they  had  seen  and 
heard,  both  to  Jews  and  Gentiles. 
Hence  their  preaching  principally 
consisted,  at  first,  of  a  recapitulation 
of  historical  facts.  Chap.  ii.  22  -  36, 
iii.  12  -  23,  iv.  8  - 12,  v.  29  -  32.  —  Je- 
rusalem. The  apostles  were  natu- 
rally to  commence  tlieir  work  at  the 
head-quarters  of  the  Jewish  faith, 
and  the  scene  of  the  most  eventful 
passages  in  the  life  of  the  Master. 
—  Judea  —  Samaria.  The  southern 
portion  of  the  country,  including  the 
capital,  and  the  adjoining  northern 
province.  Chap.  viii.  1,  4.  When 
driven  by  persecution  from  Jerusa- 
lem, they  were  to  spread  over  the 
surrounding  regions.  —  Unto  the  ut- 
termost part  of  the  earth.  An  an- 
nouncement, showing  at  once  tlie 
grand  and  universal  plan  of  Jesus 
to  establish  his  kingdom  in  no  nar- 
row Jewish  limits,  but  to  circum- 
scribe the  whole  Gentile  world. 
The  very  fact  of  such  a  conception 
furnishes  presumptive  evidence  of 
a  more  than  mortal  Avisdom.  No 
mind  had  yet  embraced  the  whole 
earth,  either  in  its  ambitious,  or  its 
benevolent  regards.  It  was  reserved 
for  Jesus  to  draw  a  scheme  firom  the 
divine  councils,  which  should  eclipse 
the  visions  of  both  warriors  and  phi- 
losophers.  Sublime  prospect,  not  yet 


I.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


17 


9  uttermost  part  of  the  earth. And  when  he  had  spoken  these 

things,  while  they  beheld,  he  was  taken  up;  and  a  cloud  received 

10  him  out  of  their  sight.     And  while  they  looked  steadfastly  toward 

heaven  as  he  went  up,  behold,  two  men  stood  by  them  in  white 


of  sight,  but  still  of  faith  and  hope ! 
That  Christianity  was  preached  dur- 
ing the  apostolic  age  throughout 
most  of  the  known  world,  is  proved 
by  Rom.  x.  18 ;  Col.  i.  G,  23. 

9.  While  they  beheld.  It  was  im- 
portant to  state  that  the  ascension 
took  place  in  the  full  view  of  spec- 
tators. —  He  was  taken  up.  The 
passive  voice  is  used,  implying  that 
he  was  not  the  actor,  but  the  object. 
He  was  subject  to  the  Father's  pow- 
er. Gen.  V.  24;  2  Kings  ii.  10,  11. 
We  learn,  from  ver.  12,  that  the 
Mount  of  Olives  was  the  scene  of 
this  transaction,  and,  more  definitely, 
that  part  of  it  near  Bethany.  Luke 
xxiv.  50,  We  are  also  informed,  by 
Luke  xxiv.  50,  51,  of  the  interesting 
circumstance,  that  Jesus  gave  a  fare- 
well benediction  to  his  disciples,  and, 
while  thus  engaged,  was  parted  from 
them  and  carried  up  into  heaven; 
and,  Mark  tells  us,  sat  on  the  right 
hand  of  God.  Many  questions  have 
been  asked  as  to  the  locality,  if 
any,  which  is  here  spoken  of,  the 
disposition  of  the  body  of  our  as- 
cended Lord,  &c.  But  these  are  sub- 
jects altogether  inexplicable.  Pop- 
ular feeling  has  assigned  a  place 
for  heaven  above  us,  beyond  the 
stars  ;  but  natural  philosophy  teaches 
us  that  above  and  below  are  relative, 
not  absolute,  terms ;  and  that  the 
blue  concave,  dotted  with  stars,  is  as 
much  below  our  feet  and  our  earth 
as  above  them.  Human  sagacity 
cannot  pierce  that  cloud  which 
received  him  out  of  their  sight. 
Whether  heaven  be  a  state,  or  a 
place,  or  both,  is  left  to  the  Om- 
niscient One.  It  is  enough  that 
Jesus  was  taken  visibly  from 
earth,  and  thus  opened  the  door 
2* 


of  faith  to  the  aspirations  of  his 
followers.  Neander  remarks,  "  How 
could  the  resurrection  of  Christ  have 
been  to  the  disciples  the  ground- 
work of  their  belief  in  everlasting 
life,  if  it  had  been  again  followed 
by  his  death?  With  the  death  of 
Christ,  the  faith,  especially  in  his 
resurrection  and  reappearance,  must 
again,  of  necessity,  have  sunk  away. 
Christ  would  again  have  appeared 
to  them  an  ordinary  man ;  their  be- 
lief in  him,  as  the  Messiah,  would 
have  suffered  a  violent  shock.  How, 
in  this  manner,  could  that  convic- 
tion of  the  exaltation  of  Christ  have 
formed  itself  within  them,  which  we 
find  expressed  in  their  writings  with 
so  much  force  and  precision  .^  " 

"  Messiah  now  has  gone  before 
To  the  blest  realms  of  light : 
O,  thither  may  our  spirits  soar, 
And  wing  their  upwurd  flight. 

"  To  guide  us  to  thy  glories,  Lord, 
To  lift  lis  to  the  sky, 
O,  may  thy  Spirit  still  be  poured 
Ulion  us  from  on  high." 

10.  Looked  steadfastly  towardheav- 
en.  The  conduct  of  the  spectators 
is  what  we  should  naturally  expect 
it  to  be,  in  the  contemplation  of  so 
august  a  scene.  They  folloAved  witli 
earnest  and  wondering  gaze  the 
vanishing  fonn  of  their  Master  and 
Friend.  Their  fixed  attention,  more- 
over, enlianced  the  value  of  their 
testimony  to  the  truth  of  this  im- 
portant fact  It  was  open  day  ;  not 
one,  but  many,  Avere  present;  and 
there  could  be  no  opportunity  for 
deception.  —  Two  men  —  in  white 
apparel.  Angels,  or  heavenly  mes- 
sengers, who  are  often  represented 
as  clothed  in  white,  the  emblem  of 
purity  and  glory.     Matt,  xxviii.  3; 


18 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


apparel ;  which  also  said,  Ye  men  of  Galilee,  why  stand  ye  gazing  11 
up  into  heaven  ?  this  same  Jesus  which  is  taken  up  from  you  into 
heaven,  shall  so  come  in  like  manner  as  ye  have  seen  him  go  into 


Mark  xvi.  5 ;  Luke  xxiv.  4 ;  John  xx. 
12 ;  Rev.  iii.  4,  5. 

11.  Ye  men  of  Galilee.  Most  of 
the  disciples  at  first  were  from  Gali- 
lee. —  Shall  so  come  in  like  manner. 
The  usual  understanding  of  this 
verse  has  been,  that  Jesus  would 
personally  and  literally  descend,  at 
some  future  time,  in  the  clouds,  with 
angels,  to  judge  the  world.  We 
learn  that  he  did  appear  in  person  to 
Paul.  Chap.  ix.  5 ;  1  Cor.  xi.  23.  But 
the  verse  before  us  by  no  means  as- 
serts as  much  as  has  been  made  out 
of  it  by  a  strained  interpretation. 
It  simply  states  that  he  will  assur- 
edly come  again  as  he  went;  which 
signifies,  in  plain  languag-e,  that  he 
would  come  again  with  power  and 
great  glory,  for  the  "  cloud  "  and  the 
"  angels  "  are  emblematical  of  such  a 
manifestation.  The  certainty  and 
glory  of  his  coming  would  be  like 
the  certainty  and  glory  of  his  going. 
The  event  refen-ed  to  was  the  es- 
tablishment of  his  religion,  upon  the 
destruction  of  the  holy  city,  temple, 
and  people,  of  the  Jews,  by  the  Ro- 
mans. Gloriously  he  ascended,  and 
gloriously  he  came  again,  in  tlie 
spreading  abroad  of  his  king-dom  in 
the  world.  Thus  Bishop  Pearce  re- 
marks, that  "  it  is  not  said  that  they 
should  see  him  come,  but  that  he 
should  come  in  like  manner  as  they 
saw  him  go :  w^e  may,  therefore,  sup- 
pose that  only  Jesus'  coming  to  visit 
the  Jewish  nation  in  their  destruc- 
tion is  here  meant  by  the  angels." 
If  it  should  be  objected,  that  this  is 
too  frigid  an  interpretation  of  the 
explicit  prediction, "  shall  so  come  in 
like  manner"  let  it  be  observed  that 
the  other  exposition,  Avhich  makes  it 
a  prophecy  of  Christ's  descent  to 
judgment  "  with  clouds  —  with  an- 


gels —  witli  fire,"  is  equally  far  re- 
moved from  a  literal  construction  of 
the  passage,  which  it  professes  to 
be.  For,  when  he  ascended,  all  was 
love  and  tranquillity  —  a  group  of 
friends  received  his  peaceful  fare- 
well —  a  cloud  closed  its  soft  folds 
around  him  —  and,  after  he  had  dis- 
appeared, two  angels  merely,  so  hab- 
ited as  to  be  called  men,  m.ildly  ad- 
di-essed  the  bereaved  disciples  with 
words,  such  as  tliey  then  needed,  of 
consolation  and  encouragement  All 
was  beautifully  in  accordance  with 
the  spirit  of  Christianity.  But  the 
descent,  of  which  tliis  ascension  is 
called  the  prototype,  is  represented, 
in  the  common  belief,  as  something 
very  different,  by  those  who  contend 
that  the  words  "  so,"  and  "  in  like 
manner,"  are  to  be  taken  in  a  strict 
sense.  Christ  in  their  view,  is  to 
come  in  dread  array,  with  flaming 
hosts,  and  soimding  trumpets,  borne 
on  the  crimson  clouds  of  heaven, 
and  descending  to  take  vengeance 
on  his  enemies.  The  point  is  this : 
that  none  interpret  this  verse  liter- 
ally; that  tliose  who  profess  to  do 
so,  after  all,  represent  the  second 
coming  of  Christ  as  quite  different 
from  his  pacific  ascension,  and  devi- 
ate wholly  from  a  rigid  construction 
of  the  words  signifying  comparison ; 
and  that,  therefore,  the  field  being 
open  for  figurative  interpretations,  the 
one  is  the  most  probable  Avhich  iden- 
tifies the  return  of  Christ,  here  spo- 
ken of,  witli  the  glorious  extension 
of  his  kingdom  upon  the  i-uins  of 
Judaism. 

There  are  two  considerations  which 
strengthen  this  position.  One  is  the 
direct  fact,  that  our  Lord  predicted 
his  coming  during  that  generation, 
which  could  only  have  been  in  the 


I.] 

12  heaven. 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


19 


Then  returned  they  unto  Jerusalem,  from  the  mount 


called  Olivet,  which  is  from  Jerusalem  a  Sabbath  day's  Journey. 
13  And  when  they  were  come  in,  they  went  up  into  an  upper  room, 
where  abode  both  Peter,  and  James,  and  John,  and  Andrew, 
Philip,  and  Thomas,  Bartholomew,  and  Matthew,  James  the  son 
of  Alpheus,  and  Simon  Zelotes,  and  Judas  the  brother  of  James. 


destruction  of  Jerusalem,  and  the 
promulgation  of  his  faith.  Matt. 
xxiv.  27,  80,  31,  34,  xxvi.  (34 ;  Mark 
ix.  1 ;  Luke  xvii.  24,  30,  xxi.  27, 
31,  32,  36.  The  other  consideration 
is,  that  it  was  f\ir  better  adapted  to 
the  immediate  purposes  of  comfort 
and  encouragement,  for  which  tlie 
angels  apparently  spoke,  to  announce 
the  triumphant  advent  of  Christ  in 
that  generation,  tlr.n  in  some  thou- 
sands of  ages  to  coine.  In  this,  as 
in  other  cases,  preconceived  opinions 
may  lead  us  to  misunderstand  Chris- 
tianit}"  almost  as  uiucli  as  they  mis- 
led the  Jews,  imless  we  put  ourselves 
upon  our  guard  against  them.  Re- 
cent fmaticism  has  taught  us  the 
value  of  sobriety  and  calmness  in 
expounding  prophecies,  especially 
those  relating  to  tlie  second  com- 
ing of  Christ 

12.  Returned  they  unto  Jerusalem. 
Though  their  faith  is  weak,  and  their 
spiritual  vision  dim,  respecting  the 
nature  of  their  Master's  kingdom, 
they  yet  obey  him  with  implicit 
fidelity,  and  return  to  the  city  of  the 
crucifixion.  —  Mount  called  Olivet ; 
i.  e.  the  Mount  of  Olives,  as  else- 
where called ;  the  high  ridge  lying 
east  of  Jerusalem,  over  the  brook 
Kedron.  —  A  Sabbath  day^s  journey. 
This  distance  was  determined,  not 
by  the  authority  of  the  law  of  Mo- 
ses, but  by  the  Jewish  Talmudists 
and  Rabbins.  There  is  some  dis- 
crepancy of  opinion  on  the  subject 
among  the  learned ;  but  the  general 
decision  is,  that  tlie  Sabbath  day's 
journey,  or  the  extent  which  the 
Jews  might  travel  on  that  day,  was 


about  seven  stadia,  or  furlongs,  or 
two  thousand  cubits,  making  a  little 
less  than  one  of  our  miles.  This 
was  supposed  to  be  the  greatest  dis- 
tance of  any  part  of  the  Jewish  camp 
from  the  tabernacle,  in  tlieir  journey 
from  Egypt  It  is  supposed  to  have 
been  about  ten  days  after  the  as- 
cension of  Jesus,  that  the  Spirit  de- 
scended on  the  apostles,  at  the  feast 
of  Pentecost  For  he  v/as  crucified 
at  the  time  of  the  Passover,  appeared 
about  forty  days,  and  the  Pentecost 
was  fifty  days  from  the  Passover. 

13.  Into  an  upper  room.  Literal- 
ly, "  into  ike  upper  room."  There  is 
no  probability  that  this  was  in  the 
temple,  as  some  contend,  from  Luke 
xxiv.  53.  Their  object  in  the  tem- 
ple was  worship.  Carpenter  says, 
"  It  is  reasonable  to  conjecture,  that 
this  was  the  chamber  where  our 
Lord  ate  the  Passover,  where  also 
the  apostles  appear  to  have  assem- 
bled on  tlie  evening  of  the  resurrec- 
tion. If  so,  it  was  in  the  house  of 
a  disciple."  The  Jews  were  accus- 
tomed to  use  an  upper  room,  as  a 
place  of  retirement  and  devotion. — 
Peter,  ^c.  The  roll  is  called,  and 
all  are  present,  except  the  traitor. 
This  list  is  apparently  given  to  sliow 
that  the  sacred  band  was  com.plete. 
It  had  withstood  all  the  shocks  that 
had  fallen  upon  it,  and  was  now  to 
be  reorganized  and  commissioned 
for  the  great  work  of  the  gospel. 
This  catalogue  corresponds  with  that 
of  Mat  X.  2-4;  Mark  iii.  16-19; 
and  Luke  vi.  14  - 16  ;  except  some 
slight  variation  in  the  names,  capa- 
ble of  being  easily  reconciled,  and 


20 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


These  all  continued  with  one  accord  in  prayer  and  supplication,  14 
with   the  women,  and  Mary  the  mother  of  Jesus,  and  with  his 
brethren. 

And  in  those  days  Peter  stood  up  in  the  midst  of  the  disciples,  15 
and  said,  (the  number  of  the  names  together  were  about  a  hun- 
dred and  twenty,)  Men  and  brethren,  this  scripture  must  needs  16 


also  changes  in  the  order  of  record. 
See  notes  on  the  Gospels  at  the 
above  places. 

14.  Continued  loith  one  accord  in 
prayer.  In  which  three  things  are 
observable,  their  perseverance,  their 
union,  and  tlieir  devotion.  They  al- 
ready begin  to  rise  into  a  higher 
spiritual  life,  while  awaiting  the  de- 
scent of  tlie  Holy  Spirit  The  bands 
of  Jewish  prejudice  are  loosed,  and 
they  emerge  more  and  more  into  the 
liberty  of  Christ.  Luke  xxiv.  53.  — 
The  women.  We  know  that  Peter, 
and  probably  others  of  the  twelve, 
were  married.  Mat.  viii.  14 ;  1  Cor. 
ix.  5.  Those  who  ministered  to  Je- 
sus, and  who  were  "  last  at  his  cross, 
and  earliest  at  his  grave,"  were  also 
there,  in  all  likelihood.  Notes  on 
Mat.  xxvii.  55 ;  Luke  viii.  3.  If 
Christianity  has  done  much  for  wo- 
man, woman  has  also  done  much  for 
Christianity.  Faithfully  did  her  heart 
at  first  respond  to  its  divine  call,  and 
in  all  ages  she  has  contributed  her 
full  quota,  or  more,  to  swell  the  noble 
army  of  martyrs,  confessors,  and  dis- 
ciples. —  Mary,  the  mother  of  Jesris. 
Sometliing  pathetic  is  suggested  by 
this  mention  of  the  mother  of  the 
Crucified  and  the  Ascended.  A 
SAvord  had  pierced  through  her  soul, 
but  a  healing  balm  had  followed  the 
woimd.  Luke  ii.  35, 51.  The  early 
sayings  she  had  treasured  up  in  her 
heart,  had  come  to  pass.  Thought 
of  bliss  — her  son  was  the  Messiah ! 
But  he  died.  No;  he  had  risen 
and  ascended  on  high ;  and  he  had 
lefl  his  mother,  not  alone  in  a  hostile 
world,  but  in  the  home  of  his  be- 


loved John,  and  surrounded  by  the 
affectionate  band  of  believers.  This 
is  the  last  time  Mary  is  mentioned 
in  the  Ncav  Testament;  and  here 
she  is  not  spoken  of  with  any  of 
that  idolatrous  homage,  since  super- 
stitiously  and  impiously  given  her 
by  a  large  portion  of  tlie  Christian 
world.  Nothing  is  known  witli  cer- 
tainty of  the  rest  of  her  life,  or  of  her 
death.  —  His  brethren.  See  notes  on 
Mat.  xii.  46 ;  John  vii.  3,  5. 

15.  In  those  days.  BetAveen  the 
ascension  and  the  day  of  Pente- 
cost. —  Peter.  The  once  fallen,  but 
now  penitent  and  forgiven,  apostle, 
resumes  his  place,  and  takes  the 
lead,  in  speech  and  action,  natural 
to  his  impulsive  disposition.  —  The 
number  of  the  names.  Or,  "  persons  ; " 
for  such  is  the  force  of  the  idiom.  — 
A  hundred  and  twenty.  Whether 
it  was  a  designed  coincidence  or 
not,  this  was  the  same  number  re- 
quired for  a  Jewish  council.  The 
Avhole  company  of  disciples  was 
much  greater  at  tliis  time,  as  we 
learn  from  1  Cor.  xv.  6.  The  reason 
of  choosing  Matthias  was  to  restore 
tlie  number  of  twelve,  to  fill  the  de- 
serted post  witli  a  new  witness  of 
Jesus'  life,  and  anotlier  preacher  of 
his  gospel. 

16.  Men  and  brethren.  Idiom  for 
"  bretliren."  —  This  scripture.  The 
passage  of  Scripture  he  refers  to  is 
stated  in  ver.  20,  viz.  Ps.  Ixix.  25, 
and  cix.  8.  —  Must  needs.  Or,  "  it  is 
fit"  —  Fidflled.  The  passage  of  the 
Psalms,  uttered  by  David,  is  applica- 
ble to,  is  verified  in,  the  case  of  Ju- 
das.   The  punctuation  of  Griesbach, 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


21 


have  boon  fulfilled,  which  the  Holy  Ghost  by  the  mouth  of  David 
spake  before  concerning  Judas,  which  was  guide  to  them  that 

17  took  Jesus.     For  he  was  numbered  with  us,  and  had  obtained 

18  part  of  this  ministry.  Now  this  man  purciiased  a  field  with  the 
reward  of  iniquity ;  and  falling  headlong,  he  burst  asunder  in  tlie 

19  midst,  and  all  his  bowels  gushed  out.  And  it  was  known  unto 
all  the  dwellers  at  Jerusalem;  insomuch  as  that  field  is  called  in 
their  proper  tongue,  Aceldama,  that  is  to  say,  The  field  of  blood. 


which  is  deser\dng  of  great  respect, 
permits  "  fulfilled  "  to  be  read  in  con- 
nexion with  "  concerning  Judas." 
David  did  not  speak  concerning  Ju- 
das ;  but  what  he  did  speak,  under  a 
spiritual  influence,  was  made  good 
in  the  case  of  that  traitor.  —  fVkkh 
was  guide  to  them  tltnt  took  Jesus. 
Mat.  xxvi.  47,  48;  John  xviii.  2,  3. 
The  treachery  of  Judas  consisted  in 
betraying  the  retirement  of  Jesus  to 
the  knowledge  of  his  enemies,  and 
pointing  him  out  by  a  kiss  of  pre- 
tended friendship. 

17.  JVumbered  loith  us.  Judas 
was  em-olled  in  the  catalogue  of 
the  twelve  by  Matthew,  Mark,  and 
Luke.  Why  he  was  chosen  by  Je- 
sus we  cannot  fully  comprehend ; 
yet  we  can  perceive  the  great  value 
of  Judas'  testimony  to  the  innocence 
of  his  Master,  (Mat  xxvii.  4=)  be- 
cause he  had  been  received  as  a 
companion  and  friend,  and  would 
have  readily  made  known  to  the 
Jews  any  thing  criminal,  seditious, 
or  blameworthy,  in  the  private  cliar- 
acter  of  Jesus,  especially  as  it  would 
have  tended  to  exculpate  his  own 
wickedness.  —  Th^s  ministry.  Or, 
"this  service."  The  desertion  of  so 
high  a  post  as  that  to  which  he  had 
been  called  —  the  work  of  human  sal- 
vation, the  service  of  God  —  necessa- 
rily aggravated  tenfold  his  guilt. 

18,  19.  These  verses  are,  beyond 
doubt,  not  a  part  of  Peter's  address, 
but  parenthetical,  throM-n  in  as  ex- 
planatory by  the  historian.  For  it 
was  not  necessary  to  inform  tlie  dis- 


ciples then  present  of  the  fate  of 
Judas,  which,  it  is  said,  was  well 
known  in  Jerusalem ;  and  the  intro- 
duction, also,  of  Aceldama,  with  its 
meaning,  was  evidently  designed  for 
the  infoiTnation  of  foreigners,  not  na- 
tives. —  This  man  purchased  a  field. 
This  is  not  inconsistent  with  IMat 
xxvii.  7,  where  it  is  said  the  chief 
priests  negotiated  the  purchase  of 
the  field.  For  in  tlie  Scriptures,  an  J 
other  Avritings,  a  man  is  said,  by  an 
idiom  of  speech,  to  do  that  which  he 
causes,  or  occasions,  to  be  done.  Gen. 
xlii.  38;  Rom.  xiv.  15.  Judas  was 
the  means  of  the  field  being  bought, 
and  he  furnished  the  money.  —  Fatl- 
ing  headlong,  ^'c.  This  description 
presents  no^-eal  discrepancy  Avith  tlie 
statement  in  Mat  xxvii.  5,  as  soon 
as  Ave  understand  that  MattheAv  sim- 
ply relates  the  act  of  suicide,  but 
that  Luke  informs  us  of  what  took 
place  subsequently,  viz.  that  the  sus- 
pended body  fell,  and  was  dashed  to 
pieces,  or  burst  asunder.  Agitated 
v,'ith  remorse  and  teiTor,  and  desti- 
tute of  all  self-possession,  it  was  not 
strange  that  Judas  should  secure  his 
weight  in  so  frail  a  manner  as  to 
fall  from  the  support  m  the  act  of 
hanging,  and  then  the  other  conse- 
quences might  naturally  folloAv. — 
Known  unto  all ;  i.  e.  it  was  generally 
knoAvn,  it  was  "  common  talk  ; "  not 
that  each  individual  knew  it  —  In 
their  proper  tongue.  Or,  better,  "pe- 
culiar dialect,"  which  was  Aramaic 
or  Syro-Chaldaic,  a  species  of  later 
Hebrew.     This  has  been  viewed  as 


^  '  THE  ACTS  [Chap. 

For  it  is  written   in  the  book  of  Psalms,  Let  his  habitation  be  20 
desolate,  and  let  no  man  dwell  therein  :    and.  His  bishopric  let 
another  take.     Wherefore  of  these  men  which  have  companied  21 
with  us,  all  the  time  that  the  Lord  Jesus  went  in  and  out  among 
us,  beginning  from  the  baptism  of  John,  unto  that  same  day  that  22 
he  was  taken  up  from  us,  must  one  be  ordained  to  be  a  witness 


proof  that  Luke  was  writing  for  Gen- 
tile converts,  and  by  some  that  he 
was  himself  of  Gentile  origin,  as  he 
uses  the  third  person,  "  their." — Acel- 
dama. A  Syro-Chaldaic  term,  com- 
posed of  two  words,  meaning  "  field 
of  blood."     See  Mat.  xxvii.  6,  8. 

20.  This  verse  connects  well  with 
ver.  17,  from  which  it  is  separated 
by  the  parenthesis  of  ver.  18  and  19. 
—  In  the  hook  of  Psalms.  The  apos- 
tle noAv  proceeds  to  quote  Avhat  he 
referred  to  in  ver.  16,  as  spoken  by 
David.  —  Let  his  habitation,  8{c.  Ps. 
Ixix.  25.  This  is  a  quotation,  with 
some  variations,  from  the  Septuagint 
version.  The  Psalmist  imprecates 
the  most  terrible  evils  upon  his  ene- 
mies, that  their  habitation  might  be 
desolate,  and  none  dAvell  in  their 
tents.  Peter  applies  this,  by  way  of 
accommodation,  to  Judas,  to  describe 
his  utter  and  dreadful  destruction. 
In  tlie  Psalms,  the  plural  is  used,  but 
the  apostle  puts  it  in  the  singular, 
as  more  applicable  to  Judas.  —  His 
hishopnc,  %'c.  Ps.  cix.  8.  This  ren- 
dering betrays  its  Episcopalian  ori- 
gin. The  simple  and  proper  trans- 
lation in  the  Psalms,  and  here,  is, 
"  Let  another  take  his  office."  The 
apostle,  most  evidently,  had  no  ref- 
erence Avhatever  to  any  orders  or 
dignities  in  the  Christian  church,  but 
employs,  as  in  the  previous  clause, 
an  ancient  scripture  in  a  rhetorical, 
not  a  prophetical,  manner,  to  describe 
more  strikingly  recent  events.  The 
quotations  of  the  Ncav  Testament, 
from  the  Old,  lose  much  of  their  force, 
when  subjected,  as  they  too  often  are, 
to  a  rigid  preconceived  theory  of  in- 
terpretation. 


21,  22.  These  men  ivhich  have  com- 
panied imih  lis.  Were  in  terms  of 
intimate  intercourse  with  us.  The 
Seventy  are,  perhaps,  alluded  to,  as 
they  had  been  despatched  on  a  mis- 
sionary tour  by  our  Lord  himself. 
Luke  X.  1.  —  Weill  in  and  out  among 
us.  Or,  "  consorted  with  us,"  or  passed 
his  life  in  our  society  and  presence. 
—  From  the  baptism  of  John.  The 
sense  is  ambiguous,  at  first  sight,  but 
the  meaning  is,  from  the  baptism  of 
Jesus  by  John  the  Baptist,  or  the 
commencement  of  his  ministry. — 
Be  ordained.  We  must  not  asso- 
ciate any  of  our  English  ideas  Avith 
this  phrase,  for  the  original  is  simply 
"  be  "  or  "  become  ; "  the  whole  read- 
ing thus,  "  must  one  become  a  Avit- 
ness  witli  us,"  &c.  The  great  office 
of  the  first  teachers  was  to  bear  Avit- 
ness  to  the  life,  death,  and  resurrec- 
tion, of  Christ,  and  their  preaching 
consisted  very  much  of  an  historical 
sketch  of  his  career.  —  His  resuirec- 
tion.  This  AA^as  the  most  important 
part  to  be  borne  witness  to,  as  it  was 
the  croAvning  and  confiraiing  of  all 
the  rest  Avith  an  authentic  divine  seal 
of  approbation.  But,  in  thus  men- 
tioning the  resurrection,  might  not 
the  apostles  have  still  entertained 
some  of  the  feeling  that  dictated  the 
inquiry  in  ver.  6,  and  regarded  the 
rising  of  Jesus  from  the  tomb  as  the 
prelude  to  the  glorious  temporal  Mes- 
sianic kingdom,  rather  than  as  the 
opening  of  the  gates  of  immortality 
almost  visibly  to  the  spiritual  be- 
liever ?  Dark  shades  lingered  around 
the  apostles'  minds,  even  for  many 
years  after  this  period.  The  full  lib- 
erty and  spirituality  of  Christ  Avas  too 


10 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


23 


23  with  us  of  his  resurrection. And  they  appointed  two,  Joseph 

21  called  Barsabas,  who  was  surnamed  Justus,  and  Matthias.     And 

they  prayed,  and  said,  Thou,  Lord,  which  knowest  the  hearts  of 
25  aW  men,  show  whether  of  these  two  thou  hast  chosen,  that  he  may 

take  part  of  this  ministry  and  apostleship,  from  which  Judas  by 


lofty  an  idea  to  be  at  once  received. 
Gal.  ii.  11  -  14.  These  verses  de- 
scribe the  quahfications  necessary 
for  a  candidate  to  the  apostolic  of- 
fice, that  he  should  have  been  with 
the  disciples  as  an  eye-witness  of 
the  life  and  death  of  Jesus, 

23.  The  speech  of  Peter  is  con- 
cluded, and  we  can  gather  nothing 
from  it,  or  any  of  the  subsequent  pro- 
ceedings, to  justify  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic idea  of  his  authorized  superior- 
ity over  the  other  apostles  and  over 
the  church.  He  gives  advice,  not 
commands.  He  appears  as  an  equal 
among  equals,  not  as  a  superior 
among  inferiors.  He  calls  the  dis- 
ciples, not  children,  but  brethren. 
He  takes  the  lead,  but  it  was  his  na- 
ture, not  his  office.  —  They  appointed 
two.  The  whole  matter  is  conduct- 
ed on  Congregational  principles.  All 
have  a  voice  and  authority,  and,  so 
far  as  the  history  testifies,  one  as  much 
as  another.  There  seem  to  be  no 
principalities  and  powers  one  above 
another ;  but  a  genuine  Christian 
brotherhood,  in  which  zeal  and  ability 
took  only  the  natural  supremacy  as- 
signed them  by  the  Creator.  Bless- 
ed model,  Avorthy  of  the  honor  and 
imitation  of  all  ages  !  —  Joseph.  He 
is  only  mentioned  here,  and  nothing 
furtlier  is  known  of  his  history. 
From  the  epithet  bestowed  on  him 
of  "  Justus,"  the  Just,  as  well  as  from 
the  fact  of  his  appointment  as  a  can- 
didate for  apostleship,  a  favorable 
inference  remains  respecting  his 
character.  —  Mcdihias.  We  learn 
nothing  more  of  the  fortunate  candi- 
date than  of  the  other.  Oblivion 
has  fallen  upon  his  life,  lattors,  and 
death.     The  sum  of  our  knowledge 


is,  that  he  "  thus  closed  up  and  made 
whole  the  sacred  ring,  which  had 
been  so  violently  broken." 

24,  25.  Lord^  i.  e.  God.  No  one 
can  suppose,  that,  after  the  frequent 
injunctions  of  Christ  to  his  disciples 
to  pray  to  the  Father,  they  would 
so  soon  violate  his  commands,  and  ad- 
dress tlieir  petitions  and  adoration  to 
him.  Dr.  Adam  Clarke  says  that 
they  laid  the  matter  before  God,  that 
he  might  decide  it  by  the  lot.  We 
find,  also,  the  disciples  adapting  their 
prayers  to  the  occasions  in  which 
they  were  placed,  and  not  adliering 
rigidly  to  the  formula  given  them  in 
the  Lord's  prayer.  Mat.  vi.  9.  — 
Knowest  the  hearts,  ^c.  A  designa- 
tion of  the  omniscient  God.  Jer. 
xvii.  10.  —  Show,  i.  e.  in  the  manner 
about  to  be  employed,  that  of  the 
drawing  of  lots.  —  Wliether  of  these 
two.  Which  of  these  two.  —  Minis- 
try. Literally,  "  service."  —  That  he 
might  go  to  his  own  place.  Or, "  proper 
place."  While  Judas  was  an  apos- 
tle, he  was  out  of  his  proper  place ; 
but,  after  he  had  acted  the  traitor, 
and  committed  suicide,  he  went  to 
that  state  or  place  congenial  to  him, 
or  proper  for  him ;  or,  as  the  various 
reading,  not  wholly  unworthy  of  no- 
tice, has  it,  "  the  just  or  fit  place." 
He  met  Avith  his  deserts.  Matthias 
was  chosen  to  fill  the  station  vacated 
by  an  unfaithful  incumbent.  Va- 
rious senses,  which  it  is  unnecessary 
to  state,  have  been  assigned  to  the 
phrase,  "  to  go  to  his  own  place ; " 
but  the  above  seems  to  accord  best 
with  the  facts  of  the  case,  the  usages 
of  language,  and  the  nature  of  retri- 
bution. Judas  was  covetous.  He 
probably  was  impatient  to  have  Je- 


24 


THE  ACTS 


[Chaf- 


transgression  fell,  that  he  might  go  to  his  own  place.     And  they  26 
gave  forth  their  lots;   and  the  lot  fell  upon  Matthias;   and  he 
was  numbered  with  the  eleven  apostles. 


siis  declare  himself  openly  as  the 
Messiah.  Greedy  of  the  paltry  sum 
of  money,  he  betrayed  him  into  the 
hands  of  his  enemies,  perhaps  sup- 
posing that  it  would  lead  to  a  public 
avowal  of  his  Messiahship ;  at  any 
rate,  that  the  Avorker  of  such  won- 
derful deeds  could  free  himself  when 
he  pleased  from  his  enemies.  But 
when  he  saw  his  Master  ready  to  be 
put  to  death,  without  making  any  ef- 
fort for  a  rescue,  he  thought  upon  his 
innocence.  His  heart  smote  him  for 
his  black  deed.  He  rushed  forth  and 
killed  himself,  under  the  impulse  of 
hopeless  remorse  and  bitter  self-re- 
proach. He  went  to  his  own  state, 
or  place,  after  death ;  to  the  one  for 
which  he  had  prepared  himself,  by 
his  life  on  earth,  and  to  which  he  was 
suited  by  his  dispositions.  In  a  word, 
he  received  according  to  the  deeds 
done  in  the  body.  There  is  a  pro- 
found significance  in  this  passage. 
It  touches  the  secret  depths  of  retri- 
bution, and  lays  bare  the  realities  of 
the  spiritual  world.  Men  go  whither 
they  are  fitted  to  go.  Punisliments 
and  rewards  are  not  arbitrary  or  ca- 
pricious, but  take  place  naturally,  ac- 
cording to  the  fixed  laws  of  the  Di- 
vine government.  Evil  is  to  him 
that  is  evil,  and  good  to  him  that  is 
good.  Man  reaps  what  he  sows  in 
the  moral,  as  in  the  physical,  world, 
here,  and  still  more  hereafter.  Eve- 
ry one  goes  to  his  own  place,  or 
state,  after  death,  by  the  natural  op- 
eration of  the  gTeat  law  of  spiritual 
congeniality  —  the  good  assimilate 
to  the  good,  the  bad  to  the  bad. 
Even  the  Grecian  philosopher,  Plato, 
had  arrived  at  the  lofty  conviction 
that  "  The  soul  which  has  lived  pure- 
ly and  soberly,  dwells  in  a  place 
suitable  to  itself."  It  is  so,  in  some 
measure,  in  the  present  world ;  it  will 


be  still  more  so  in  the  societies  of 
the  spiritual  state.  To  use  the  illus- 
tration of  Olshausen,  the  soul,  like  a 
piece  of  iron  between  two  magnets, 
hangs  between  the  powers  of  light 
and  darkness ;  and  that  element  to 
which  it  yields  the  dominion,  attracts 
it  to  itself,  either  up  or  down.  Whith- 
er do  our  spirits  tend,  and  for  what 
society  are  we  acquiring  a  love  and 
congeniality  ?  What  more  critical 
question  than  this  can  be  pressed 
home  upon  our  hearts  —  a  question 
in  whose  answer  is  involved  all  the 
boundless  fears  and  hopes  of  our 
being,  all  the  vast  interests  that  rise 
and  spread  over  the  infinite  heavens, 
and  go  down  to  the  ages  of  eternity  ? 
26.  They  gave  forth  their  lots. 
Some  regard  this  act  as  the  simple 
casting  of  a  ballot;  but  the  general 
and  more  correct  opinion  is  that  of 
Grotius,  that  tliey  put  their  lots  into 
two  urns,  one  of  which  contained 
tlie  names  of  Joseph  and  Matthias, 
and  the  other  a  blank,  and  the  word, 
apostle.  In  drawing  these  out  of 
tlie  urns,  the  blank  came  up  with 
tlie  name  of  Joseph,  and  the  lot  on 
which  was  written  the  \\OYd  apostle^ 
came  up  with  the  name  of  Matthias. 
They  thus  deemed  that  their  prayer 
was  answered,  and  that  Matthias 
was  the  man  designated  by  Heav- 
en for  the  holy  office.  The  use  of 
the  lot  is  elsewhere  spoken  of  in 
the  Scriptures.  Josh,  xviii.  ]  -  10 ; 
]  Sam.  xiv.  41,  42;  Prov.  xvi.  33, 
xviii.  18.  It  Avould  not,  of  course, 
be  proper  to  decide  a  question  of 
right  and  wrong  in  this  method,  but 
only  one  of  choice  and  moral  in- 
difference. Again,  no  countenance 
is  given  by  this  transaction  to  games 
of  chance,  to  lotteries,  and  gam- 
bling, Avhich  call  a  thousand  evil 
passions  into  exercise,  and  in  which 


IL] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


25 


CHAPTER   n. 

The  Descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit  on  the  Day  of  Pentecost.     The  Discourse  of 
Peter,  and  the  Growth  of  the  Church. 

And  when  the  day  of  Pentecost  was  fully  come,  they  were  all 


success  itself  is  only  the  more  cer- 
tain way  to  ruin. 

We  learn  in  this  first  chapter  the 
zeal  of  the  apostles,  that,  even  be- 
fore the  descent  of  the  Spirit,  they 
prepared  themselves  by  completing 
their  sacred,  but  broken,  number,  for 
the  mighty  work  of  planting  the 
gospel  throughout  the  then  known 
world.  They  had  regained  their 
hearts,  they  had  returned  each  "to 
his  own  place ; "  they  girded  on 
their  armor  anew,  and,  cheered  by 
the  sympathy  and  prayers  of  many 
others,  the  little  band  Avas  ready  to 
cast  itself  upon  the  mighty  enter- 
prise, and  front  danger  and  death 
for  the  Master's  sake.  They  were 
attached,  too,  to  the  number  twelve. 
It  was  a  venerated  number.  It  was 
the  number  of  the  sons  of  Jacob. 
The  tribes  of  Israel  were  twelve. 
Jesus  had  chosen  twelve.  They 
felt  that  they  could  not  go  forth 
with  the  same  strength  and  cour- 
age, unless  the  sad  and  gloomy 
void  was  filled;  and  they  choose, 
with  solemnity  and  prayer,  the  im- 
portant substitute.  Now  their  roll 
is  complete ;  they  are  again  the 
TWELVE.  Could  any  but  a  true  and 
heavenly  cause  have  thus  sprung, 
phoBnix-like,  from  the  ashes  of  dis- 
aster and  destruction,  and  in  tlie 
name  of  a  crucified  leader,  and 
after  the  treachery  of  one  of  the 
company,  have  plumed  itself  anew, 
and  enlisted  in  the  campaign  of 
conquering  the  world  ?  The  voice 
of  ages  answers.  No. 

CHAPTER   II. 

1.  This  chapter  contains  one  of 
the  most  important  events  in  the 
history  of  Christianity  —  the  descent 

VOL.    III.  3 


of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon  the  dis- 
ciples, and  their  illumination  re- 
specting the  spiritual  nature  of  the 
Messiah's  kingdom.  —  The  day  of 
Pentecost.  Or,  the  fiftieth  day,  so 
called  from  its  being  at  that  distance 
from  the  feast  of  the  Passover.  This 
was  to  celebrate  the  goodness  of 
God  by  offerings  of  the  first-fruits 
of  the  harvest,  as  the  wheat  was 
then  gathered.  These  gifts  con- 
sisted of  two  loaves  of  unleavened 
bread,  of  about  three  pints  of  meal 
each ;  also  various  domestic  animals, 
as  lambs,  rams,  &c.  Lev.  xxiii.  15  - 
21 ;  Deut.  xvi.  9,  10.  The  Pentecost 
was  one  of  the  three  great  festivals, 
at  which  all  the  males  were  required 
to  appear  before  the  Lord.  Ex. 
xxxiv.  22,  23.  It  was  observed  at 
the  expiration  of  seven  weeks  after 
the  Passover,  and  was  hence  called 
the  "  Feast  of  Weeks."  It  occurred 
in  the  month  Sivan,  or  about  the 
last  of  our  May.  Besides  its  pri- 
mary object,  to  commemorate  tlie 
ingathering  of  the  harvest,  it  was 
also  a  memorial  of  the  giving  of  the 
law  from  Mount  Sinai,  fifty  days 
after  the  exodus  of  the  Israelites 
from  Egypt,  and  was  therefore  called 
by  them  "the  joy  of  the  Law." 
The  feast  of  the  Passover  is  cele- 
brated by  some  Christian  churches 
as  the  anniversary  of  the  crucifixion, 
under  the  name  of  Easter  —  a  word 
derived,  as  is  said,  from  Eostre,  a 
goddess  to  whom  the  ancient  pagan 
Britons  kept  a  festival  at  that  season 
of  the  year.  The  feast  of  Pente- 
cost is  also  observed  under  the  name 
of  Jildtsuntide,  or  White  Sunday,  be- 
cause this  was  one  of  the  stated  sea- 
sons of  baptism  in  early  times,  and 
the  persons  who  received  that  rite 


26 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


with  one  accord  in  one  place.    And  suddenly  there  came  a  sound  2 
from  heaven,  as  of  a  rushing  mighty  wind,  and  it  filled  all  the 
house  where  they  were  sitting.     And  there  appeared  unto  them  3 


put  on  white  garments,  as  emblems 
of  spiritual  purity.  —  Was  fully  come. 
Or,  simply,  "had  arrived."  The  fact 
that  it  was  one  of  the  great  Jewish 
festivals  accounted  for  what  was 
afterwards  related  of  the  foreign 
Jews  being  present,  ver.  5-11,  in 
great  numbers.  —  They  were  all,  fyc. 
Probably  not  only  the  Twelve,  but 
also  other  disciples,  perhaps  the  one 
hundred  and  twenty  of  chap.  i.  15. 
The  unanimity  of  their  proceedings 
is  worthy  of  note,  especially  as  even 
the  apostles  were  before  often  con- 
tending who  should  be  the  greatest ; 
but  their  spirit  is  now  changed  and 
changing.  Instead  of  the  dreams 
of  worldly  ambition,  they  begin  to 
comprehend  the  realities  and  glories 
of  spiritual  things.  At  what  place 
they  now  met  is  matter  of  conjec- 
ture, but  they  would  most  likely  use 
the  same  apartment  spoken  of  in 
chap.  i.  13.  Whether  the  descent 
of  the  Spirit  occurred  on  the  last 
day  of  the  week,  the  Jewish  Sab- 
bath, or  on  the  first  day  of  the 
week,  the  Christian  Sabbath,  is  also 
unknown,  and  immaterial. 

2.  It  is  at  least  an  interesting 
coincidence,  that,  at  the  same  time 
of  year  the  law  was  given  from 
Mount  Sinai,  the  spiritual  influence 
promised  by  Christ  to  his  disciples, 
John  xiv.  10,  26,  xvi.  13,  descend- 
ed upon  them  in  a  miraculous  and 
powerful  manner,  giving  tliem  the 
gifts  of  tongues,  emblems  of  their 
call  to  preach  the  gospel,  strength- 
ening their  faith  in  their  Master, 
and  enlightening  their  minds  as  to 
the  spirituality  of  his  religion.  — 
t/1  sound  from  heaven,  as  of  a  rush- 
ing mighty  loind.  It  is  not  said 
tliere  was  any  wind ;  on  the  con- 
trary, the  sound  would  have  been 
the  more  remarkable  in  the  perfect 


stillness  of  the  elements,  and  point- 
ed out  more  clearly  the  coming  of 
a  power  and  Spirit  from  on  high. 
It  appeared  to  descend  from  above, 
whither  we  naturally  look  for  the 
seat  of  infinite  wisdom.  It  filled 
the  whole  room  or  house  Avhere  they 
were  sitting,  as  with  an  all-pervad- 
ing presence.  We  behold,  on  this 
occasion,  the  Father  of  spirits  teach- 
ing his  children  in  the  flesh  by 
means  of  material  sounds  and  sights, 
appealing  to  the  soul  through  the 
ear  and  eye,  and  thus  conveying  an 
impression  that  would  leave  an  in- 
delible stamp  upon  the  memory  and 
the  imagination.  Those  who  see 
not  the  beauty  of  this  scene  should 
remember  what  is  man,  and  through 
what  avenues  he  can  be  approached 
in  the  most  effective  manner.  Com- 
pare Ex.  xiii.  2],  22,  xix.  16-19; 
1  Kings  xix.  11,  12.  It  is  worthy  of 
recollection,  in  this  passage,  tliat  tlie 
same  word,  in  Greek,  means  "  wind," 
and  "  Spirit ; "  and  that  thus  the  de- 
scent of  a  spiritual  influence  was 
not  inappropriately  symbolized  by 
the  sound  of  a  rushing  mighty  unnd. 
It  may  be  mentioned,  as  a  singular 
fact,  that  the  Arabs  regard  Muham- 
med  as  the  Paraclete,  or  Comforter, 
predicted  by  Jesus  in  John  xvi.  7, 
and  other  passages. 

3.  Cloven  tongues,  like  as  of  fre, 
^c.  Or,  "  tongues,  as  it  were  of  fire, 
distributed  themselves  and  settled 
upon  each  of  them ; "  tlie  word 
"  cloven,"  in  the  original,  referring 
not  to  the  tongues  themselves  being 
divided,  but  to  their  being  distrib- 
uted to  the  company  present.  This 
verse,  like  the  last,  bears  the  clear- 
est impress  of  an  eye-Avitness ;  there 
is  the  vivid  delineation  of  one  who 
heard  and  saw  these  things.  Suc- 
ceeding the  sound  of  a  mighty  wind. 


II.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


27 


4  cloven  tongues  like  as  of  fire,  and  it  sat  upon  eacn  of  them.    And 
they  were  all  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  began  to  speak  with 


addressed  to  the  ear,  appeared  lam- 
bent shapes,  as  of  tongues  of  fire, 
separating  and  alighting  upon  each 
of   the    disciples,    an   emblem  'ap- 
pealing  to   iJie    eye.      "Seeing    is 
believing."     God  teaches  much  by 
signs,  and  his   revelation,    as   well 
as  his  creation,  is  filled  with  count- 
less  instances    of   this    species    of 
instruction.     Fire   is   often  spoken 
of   in  the   communications   of   the 
Deity  to  man  in  the  Old  Testament. 
He  appeared  to  Moses  in  a  flaming 
bush  ;  on  Mount  Sinai  at  the  giving 
of  the  Law  in  thunders,  and  light- 
nings, and  fire;  and  in  a  pillar  of 
fire  by  night  to  the  Israelites   on 
their  journey  through  the  wilderness 
to  the  Promised  Land.     An  appear- 
ance, as   of  a  dove,  was  seen   de- 
scending from  the  opened  heavens, 
and    alighting    upon   Jesus    at   his 
baptism.     The   tongues,  as   of  fire, 
which    were    now    seen    attaching 
themselves   to   the    disciples,   were 
designed,   like   all  miraculous   dis- 
plays, to   awaken  the  wonder  and 
awe  of  the  beholders  —  to  connect 
the  descent  of  the  Spirit  with  the 
individuals  to  whom  it  was  given,  to 
intimate,  emblematically,  the  ofiice  in 
which  they  were  to  act,  as  preach- 
ers of  the  gospel.     They  were  now 
baptized  with  the  Holy  Ghost  and 
Avith  fire.     Mat.  iii.  11.     They  were 
touched  with  a  live  coal  from  off  the 
altar,  and  would  henceforth  speak 
with  tongues    of  a  fiery,   melting, 
all-persuasive  eloquence.     Is.  vi.  6 ; 
Luke  xxi.  15.    We  soon  have  speci- 
mens   of  their  new  power  in  ver. 
37,  chap.  iv.  13.     Grotius  remarks 
that,  as  the  confusion  of  tongues  at 
Babel  dispersed  mankind  abroad,  the 
gift  of  tongues  on  the  day  of  Pen- 
tecost collected  them  together  again 
from  their  dispersion  into  one  peo- 
ple. 


4.  Filled  imth  the  Holy  Ghost.     Or, 
the  Holy  Spirit  of  God,  which  aided 
them  in  doing  what  would  otherwise 
have  been  impossible  to  man.    How 
far  they  had  been  imbued  with  the 
same  Spirit  before,  cannot  be  accu- 
rately determined,  but  it  is  evident, 
from  the  history,  that,  from  this  time 
forth,  they  were  endued  with  a  new 
and  unprecedented  power  over  their 
fellow-creatures,  as   well   as  pene- 
trated with  livelier  convictions   of 
the  nature  and  purpose  of  the  gos- 
pel, as  an  instrument  of  human  sal- 
vation.     John   XX.  22.  —  To  speak 
vnth  other  tongues,  as  the  Spirit  gave 
them  utterance.     This  was  in  fulfil- 
ment of  Mark  xvi.  17.    They  were 
endowed  with  the  power  of  speak- 
ing in  languages,  or  at  least  dia- 
lects, with  Avhich  they  were  before 
unacquainted.      Any  one   who  wiU 
consider,  for  a  moment,   the  won- 
derful art  of  language  in  itself,  the 
astonishing  faculty  of  speech,  the 
power  of  thinking  in  words,  and  con- 
veying our  conceptions  and  feelings 
to  others  through  a  set  of  arbitrary 
signs,  the  accumulated   growth  of 
ages,  will  be  prepared  to  appreciate 
tfis  miracle,  by  which  all  this  mar- 
vellous use  and  capacity  of  language 
was  suddenly  conferred  upon  the  dis- 
ciples in  the  most  perfect  manner ;  so 
that  the  natives  of  different  countries 
felt  that  they  were  listening  to  their 
vernacular  tongue.     Indeed,  hardly 
any  other  sign  could  be  more  indic- 
ative of  a  greater  than  human  wis- 
dom  and  power,  than   the   gift  of 
tongues.     At  the  same  time,  it  an- 
swered the  important  purpose  of  en- 
abling the  disciples  to  preach  Christ 
to  multitudes  from  every  part  of  the 
world,  so  that  it  might  truly  be  said 
that  "  this  thing  was  not  done  in  a 
corner."     It  radiated  the  light  of 
Christianity  east  and  west,  north  and 


28  THE   ACTS  [Chap. 

other  tongues,  as  the  Spirit  gave  them  utterance.     And  there  5 
were  dwelling  at  Jerusalem  Jews,  devout  men,  out  of  every  nation 
under  heaven.     Now  when  this  was  noised  abroad,  the  multitude  6 
came  together,  and  were  confounded,  because  that  every  man 


soutli,  over  most  of  the  known  world. 
Unversed  in  human  lore,  the  fisher- 
man, the  publican,  could  go  forth, 
prepared  to  instruct  distant  cities 
and  countries,  and  proclaim  the  glad 
tidings  of  great  joy  with  all  the  force 
of  language  of  a  native-born  speak- 
er ;  so  that  Chrysostom  said  that  the 
different  tongues  pointed  out,  as  a 
map,  what  land  each  one  should  visit 
and  occupy  as  the  scene  of  his  labors 
in  converting  the  world.  The  fact 
that  the  gospel  was  preached,  as  our 
Lord  prophesied  it  Avould  be,  over 
the  world,  before  the  close  of  that 
generation.  Mat  xxiv.  14;  Rom.  x. 
18 ;  Col.  i.  6,  23,  can  be  accounted 
for  only  by  the  facts  here  stated, 
especially  when  we  consider  the 
want  of  education,  and  ignorance  of 
letters,  in  most  of  the  early  preach- 
ers of  our  holy  faith.  The  gift  of 
tongues  appears  to  have  continued, 
though  some  distinguished  critics 
have  doubted  the  fact,  during  the 
apostolic  age,  and  probably  no  lon- 
ger, for  it  had  then  accomplished  its 
end,  and  the  truth  would  find  other 
instruments  for  its  diffusion.  See 
1  Cor.  xii.  10,  11,  28,  30,  xiv.  2-39. 

"  We  ask  not,  Lord,  thy  cloven  flame, 
Or  tongues  of  various  tone  ; 
But  long  th}'  praises  to  proclaim 
With  fervor  in  our  own. 

•♦We  mourn  not  that  prophetic  skill 

Is  found  on  earth  no  more  ; 

Enough  for  us  to  trace  thy  will 

In  Scripture's  sacred  lore." 

5.  Dwelling  at  Jeruscdem.  The 
question  is,  whether  these  persons 
made  the  Holy  City  their  pennanent 
residence  or  not.  Lightfoot  sup- 
poses that  they  had  removed  thither 
from  various  parts  of  the  world,  at 
this  particular  time,  in  their  earnest 


expectation  of  the  speedy  advent  of 
the  Messiah ;  while  the  more  gen- 
eral interpretation  is,  that  they  had 
come  to  attend  the  feast  of  Pente- 
cost, and  were  only  making  Jerusa- 
lem a  temporary  abode.  Ex.  xxiii. 
17.  The  male  Jews  were  required 
to  be  present  at  the  festivals  of  the 
Passover,  Pentecost,  and  Taberna- 
cles. —  Jews,  devout  men,  i.  e.  devout 
Jews ;  by  whom  is  meant  proselytes 
to  the  Jewish  religion  from  various 
countries,  or  native  Jews  that  had 
resorted  thither  for  merchandise  — 
an  impulse  that  has  never  ceased  to 
act  upon  their  characters  in  all  time. . 
—  Out  of  every  nation  under  heaven. 
An  hyperbole ;  a  general,  not  an  uni- 
versal, term,  meaning  that  there  were 
persons  from  all  quarters  of  the  earth. 
As  an  incidental,  but  strong,  corrob- 
oration of  the  text,  the  following  pas- 
sage is  quoted  from  the  Antiquities 
of  Josephus  respecting  the  feast  of 
the  Passover,  and  essentially  the 
same  was  true  of  every  great  festi- 
val :  "  At  that  time,  the  feast  was 
approaching,  in  which  the  Jews  are 
wont  to  eat  unleavened  bread.  The 
feast  is  called  the  Passover,  and  is 
kept  in  remembrance  of  their  depart- 
ure out  of  Egypt:  they  observe  it 
with  great  joy,  and  at  this  feast  offer 
up  more  sacrifices  than  at  any  other, 
and  an  innumerable  multitude  of  per- 
sons come  up  to  worship  God,  not 
only  out  of  Judea,  but  also  from  other 
parts." 

6.  lliis  was  noised  abroad,  i.  e.  the 
report  was  spread.  Hitherto  there 
had  been  only  the  disciples  together ; 
but  a  vast  multitude,  impelled  by  cu- 
riosity, now  gathered  about  them. 
Ver.  41.  —  Every  man  heard  them 
speak  in  his  oivn  language.    Or,  bet- 


IL] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


29 


7  heard  them  speak   in  his  own  language.     And  they  were  all 
amazed,  and  marvelled,  saying  one  to  another,  Behold,  are  not 

8  all  these  which  speak,  Galileans  1     And  how  hear  we  every  man 

9  in  our  own   tongue,   wherein  we  were  born?     Parthians,  and 
Medes,  and  Elamites,  and  the  dwellers  in  Mesopotamia,  and  in 


ter,  "  dialect,"  or  "  idiom."  This  was 
the  cause  of  the  astonishment ;  for 
nothing  certainly  could  be  more  won- 
derful than  to  hear  uneducated  men, 
Galileans,  speaking  intelligibly  in 
every  peculiar  idiom.  It  was  the  nat- 
ural etfect  of  a  supernatural  cause. 

7,  8.  Galileans.  It  would  have 
been  wonderful  to  hear  any  men, 
from  any  district,  speak  in  this  way  ; 
but  it  was  tlu-ice  wonderful  that  the 
Galileans  should  be  able  to  do  it 
Fur  they  were  from  an  ignorant  and 
despised  country,  where  a  peculiar 
dialect  or  brogue  was  in  use.  Matt 
xxvi.  73,  Mark  xiv.  70,  and  which 
was  regarded  with  peculiar  contempt 
by  the  rest  of  the  people,  John  i. 
40,  vii.  52,  as  an  abandoned  region. 
Thus  were  the  declarations  of  1  Cor. 
i.  26,  27,  fulfilled.  —  In  our  oiim 
tongue,  ivherein  we  were  horn.  Each 
one  heard  his  peculiar  vernacular  di- 
alect or  idiom.  The  disciples  not 
only  spoke  each  language,  but  spoke 
it  well,  so  that  the  natives,  them- 
selves being  judges,  were  aston- 
ished at  their  correctness.  Though 
there  were  some  languages  gener- 
ally known,  as  the  Greek,  Hebrew, 
and  Latin,  —  the  Greek,  particularly, 
being  a  species  of  universal  tongue, 
as  the  French  is  now  in  most  coun- 
tries of  Europe,  —  yet  there  was  a 
vast  number  of  inferior  dialects  and 
branches,  spoken  in  different  dis- 
tricts and  provinces,  with  all  which 
these  inspired  men  were  specially 
gifted.  Not  that  each  individual 
spoke  all,  but  one  was  endowed 
with  one,  and  another  ^vith  another. 

9.  Parthians.  These  were  Jews, 
wlio  had  either  been  born,  or  who 
had  lived,  in  Partbia.  This  country 
3* 


was  situated  south-east  of  the  Cas- 
pian Sea,  in  Asia,  Avas  bounded  on 
the  east  by  Aria,  on  the  west  by  Me- 
dia and  Hyrcania,  on  the  north  by 
Hyrcania,  and  on  the  south  by  the 
desert  of  Carmania,  and  was  sur- 
rounded by  mountains.  Some  an- 
cient writers  derive  the  origin  of  this 
people  from  Scythia,  a  vast  unculti- 
vated region  in  the  north  of  Asia. 
In  the  later  period  of  the  Roman  re- 
public, the  Parthians  had  established 
an  extensive  empire.  Their  power 
continued  about  400  years.  Their 
language  was  Persian.  They  were 
a  warlike  nation,  distinguished  as 
horsemen  and  archers ;  and,  when 
fleeing  in  battle,  they  discharged 
their  arrows  behind  them  with  great 
execution,  so  that  their  flight  was 
often  more  formidable  than  their  on- 
set —  Medes.  The  enumeration  of 
the  diflferent  nations  proceeds  from 
the  east  to  the  west,  and  from  the 
north  to  the  south.  Media  was 
bounded  on  the  north  by  the  Cas- 
pian Sea,  on  the  south  by  Persia,  on 
the  east  by  Aria,  on  the  west  by  As- 
syria, and  north-west  by  Armenia. 
The  tract  included  by  ancient  Par- 
thia  and  Media  now  belongs  to  mod- 
ern Persia.  Some  gratify  their  taste 
for  antiquity  by  deriving  "  Media  " 
from  "  Madai,"  a  grandson  of  Noah. 
Gen.  X.  2.  The  Medes  were  at  first 
subject  to  Assyria,  as  a  province,  but 
rose  to  independence,  B.  C.  820, 
which  they  enjoyed  about  three  cen- 
turies, until  they  were  merged  in 
the  Persian  monarchy  by  Cyrus  the 
Great,  B.  C.  559.  They  used  the 
Persian  language.  They  were  a 
fierce  and  warlike  people,  and  are 
often  spoken  of  in  the  Scriptures  in 


30  THE  ACTS  [Chap. 

Judea,  and  Cappadocia,  in  Pontus,  and  Asia,  Phrygia,  and  Pam-  10 
phylia,  in  Egypt,  and  in  the  parts  of  Libya  about  Gyrene,  and 


connexion  with  the  Assyrians  and 
Persians.  2  Kings  xvii.  6  ;  Esth.  i. 
3,  14,  18,  19 ;  Jer.  xxv.  25 ;  Dan.  v. 
28,  vi.  8.  Some  of  the  Jews  were 
carried  as  captives  and  colonized  in 
the  Median  cities  by  their  Assyrian 
and  Babylonian  conquerors,  2  Kings 
xvii.  (3,  and  their  descendants  did  not 
all  return  to  the  Holy  Land  on  the 
rebuilding  of  the  ternple  and  Jeru- 
salem. —  Elamites.     Gen.  x.  22,  xiv. 

1.  These  were  the  inliabitants  of 
Elam,  or  Elymais,  a  region  of  Persia 
situated  on  the  Persian  Gulf,  be- 
tween Babylonia  and  Persia,  which 
fonned  a  part  of  Susiana,  of  which 
Susa,  or  Shusan,  was  the  capital,  and 
which  is  now  termed  Khusistan.  Is. 
xxii.  6 ;  Jer.  xlix.  34  -  39 ;  Dan.  viiL 

2.  Their  language  was  also  Per- 
sian. —  Mesopotamia.  This  word  sig- 
nifies "  between  rivers,"  i.  e.  between 
the  Euphrates  and  the  Tigris,  and  is 
called  Padan  Aram,  tlie  plain  of 
Syria,  Gen.  xxiv.  10.  The  language 
of  JMesopotamia  was  Syriac  or  Chal- 
daic.  It  is  a  very  fertile  region,  and 
Avas  anciently  bounded  by  Assyria 
on  the  east.  Babylonia  and  Chaldea 
on  the  south,  Syria  on  tlie  west,  and 
Armenia  on  tlie  north.  It  now  be- 
longs to  the  Turkish  empire,  under 
tlie  name  of  El  Djezirat,  the  penin- 
sula. —  Judea.  It  is  a  question  with 
critics  why  Judea  was  mentioned  in 
this  connexion,  as  that  was  the  coun- 
try where  they  then  were,  and  the 
disciples  might  be  presumed  capable 
of  speaking  that  language  naturally. 
Some  suggest  various  readings,  as  In- 
dia, Lydia,  Idumea,  Bitliynia.  Some 
account  for  it  from  the  fact  that  tlie 
dialect  of  Judea  Avas  ditferent  from 
tliat  of  Galilee,  to  which  most  of  the 
disciples  at  that  time  belonged.  Mat 
xxvi.  73  ;  Mark  xiv.  70.  Or,  again, 
it  is  said  that  Judea  was  enumerated 
because  it  was  one  country  among 


the  rest,  and  the  object  of  tlie  cata- 
logue was  to  show  that  they  spoke 
all  languages.  Either  of  the  two 
latter  reasons  relieves  the  difficulty. 
—  Cappadocia.  A  province  of  Asia 
Minor,  situated  between  the  Euxine 
Sea  and  the  Mediterranean,  and 
bounded  on  the  east  by  Armenia 
and  Syria,  soutli  by  Cilicia,  west  by 
Lycaonia,  and  north  by  Pontus  and 
Galatia.  1  Pet.  i.  1.  The  language 
was  probably  a  mixture  of  Greek 
and  Syriac.  Acts  xiv.  11.  It  was 
a  wheat-growing  region,  and  also 
distinguished  for  its  excellent  horses. 
The  inhabitants  were  proverbial  for 
their  wickedness ;  but  Strabo  the 
geographer,  Basil  the  Great,  and 
Gregory  Nazianzen,  were  natives 
of  this  country.  —  Pontus.  This  was 
also  one  of  the  eastern  provinces  of 
Asia  Minor,  bounded  by  the  Euxine 
Sea  on  the  nortli,  by  Armenia  and 
Colchis  on  the  east,  Paphlagonia  and 
Galatia  on  tlie  west,  and  Cappado- 
cia on  the  south.  Mithridates  the 
Great,  king  of  Pontus,  waged  a  long 
and  bloody  war  with  the  Romans, 
but  was  conquered  by  Pompey,  and 
the  country  subjected  to  the  mistress 
of  the  world.  Acts  xviii.  2.  The 
language  probably  resembled  that 
of  Cappadocia,  as  the  two  countries 
were  at  times  under  the  same  gov- 
ernment. —  ^^sia.  This  word  is  used 
in  three  senses  —  to  denote  the  con- 
tinent, the  region  of  Asia  Minor,  and 
a  smaller  province,  sometimes  called 
Io7ua,  or  Proconsular  ^^Jsia^  of  which 
Ephesus  was  the  capital.  Acts  vi. 
9,  xvi.  6,  XX.  16 ;  1  Pet.  i.  1.  Here 
the  Greek  language  was  spoken,  as 
this  was  one  of  the  regions  tliat 
claimed  to  be  the  birthplace  of 
Homer,  the  greatest  poet  of  Grecian 
antiquity. 

10.    Phri/gia.     Acts  xvi.  6,  xviii. 
23.    A  country  situated  in  the  heart 


II.1 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


3X 


11  strangers  of  Rome,  Jews  and  proselytes,  Cretes  and  Arabians, 
we  do  hear  them  speak  in  our  tongues  the  wonderful  works  of 


of  Asia  Minor,  and  surrounded  by 
Bitliynia,  Galatia,  Cappadocia,  Pi- 
sidia,  and  Lydia.  The  Greek  was 
probably  spoken  here  and  in  Pam- 
phylia,  with  more  or  less  of  foreign 
admixtures.  —  Pamplujlicu  Another 
district  of  Asia  Minor,  lying  south, 
upon  the  Mediterranean,  bounded  on 
the  north  by  Pisidia,  and  inhabited 
by  a  Grecian  colony.  Acts  xiii.  13, 
xiv.  24,  XV.  38,  xxvii.  5.  —  Egypt. 
This  country  was  bounded  by  tlie 
Arabian  Gulf  and  Arabia  on  the 
east,  Libya  on  the  west,  the  Medi- 
terranean pn  the  north,  and  Ethio- 
pia on  the  south.  It  was  about  600 
miles  long,  and  from  100  to  200 
in  breadth;  watered  by  the  Nile, 
which  flows  1000  miles  without  any 
branches,  and  annually  inundates  a 
large  portion  of  the  country.  Here 
was  tlie  origin  of  ancient  art  and 
science,  and  the  ruins  of  Egypt  and 
her  pyramids  still  excite  the  wonder 
of  the  world.  Many  Jews  settled  in 
Alexandria  after  the  Assyrian  con- 
quest. The  language  of  ancient 
Egypt  was  Coptic. —  Libya.  A  name 
sometimes  standing  for  the  whole  of 
Africa;  but  it  means  here  the  coun- 
try so  called,  lying  west  of  Egypt, 
which  was  divided  by  the  Romans 
into  two  parts,  called  Mannanat  on 
tlie  east,  and  Cyrenaica  on  the  west. 
The  latter  is  here  meant.  Gyrene, 
from  which  it  took  its  name,  Avas  a 
large  and  beautiful  city,  lying  about 
10  miles  from  the  sea.  The  same 
region  was  also  called  Pentapolis, 
from  the  five  cities,  Gyrene,  Ptole- 
mais,  Apollonia,  Arsinoe,  and  Bere- 
nice, wJiich  were  scattered  alonof 
the  shores  of  the  Mediterranean,  and 
inhabited  by  multitudes  of  Jews. 
Mark  xv.  2]  ;  Acts  xi.  20,  xiii.  1.  — 
Strangers  of  Rouie,  i.  e.  Roman  resi- 
dents at  Jerusalem.  Rome  was 
situated  on  the  Tiber,  in  Italy,  and 


from  small  beginnings  it  rose  to  be 
the  greatest  and  most  powerful  city 
in  tiie  world.  Josephus  relates  that 
the  Jews  had  eight  synagogues 
there.  A  colony  of  Jewish  captives 
lived  near  Rome,  after  their  country 
had  been  conquered  by  Pompey.  — 
Jews.  Either  natives  of  Judea,  or 
descendants  from  Jewish  parents 
in  foreign  countries.  —  Pmselytes. 
Mat.  xxiu.  15.  These  were  converts 
from  the  Gentiles  to  the  Jewisli 
faith,  of  which  the  Rabbins  made 
two  kinds — proselytes  of  righteous- 
ness, or  those  who  were  entirely 
initiated  into  the  religion  of  Moses, 
and  enjoyed  all  its  rights  and  privi- 
leges ;  and  proselytes  of  the  gate, 
who  partially  conformed  to  the  Jew- 
ish ritual,  obeying  what  Avere  called 
the  seven  precepts  of  Noah ;  or  to 
shun  blasphemy  to  God,  idolatry, 
homicide,  incest,  robbery,  resistance 
to  magistrates,  and  the  eating  of 
blood,  or  things  strangled. 

11.  Cretes.  Crete  Avas  an  island 
in  tlie  Levant,  or  the  eastern  pavi 
of  the  Mediten-anean  Sea,  said  by 
Pliny  to  be  270  miles  in  length,  and 
about  50  in  breadth.  It  is  now 
called  Candia.  Christian  churches 
were  early  formed  in  Crete.  Acts 
xxvii.  7,  8,  13 ;  Titus  i.  5,  12.  The 
language  Avas  Greek.  It  Avas  an- 
ciently said  to  contain  a  hundred 
cities,  Avas  denominated  the  mistress 
of  the  sea,  and  upon  it  Avas  situat- 
ed Mount  Ida,  so  distinguished  in 
the  Grecian  mythology.  —  Arabians. 
Arabia,  as  is  Avell  knoAvn,  is  a  large 
peninsula  in  the  soutli-west  part  of 
Asia,  boimded  by  the  Persian  Gulf, 
the  Red  Sea,  tlie  Arabian  Gulf, 
Egypt,  Palestine,  Syria,  and  Chal- 
dea.  Here  occurred  most  of  tlie 
Avonderful  events  of  the  journey  of 
the  Israelites,  during  forty  years  in 
the  Avildemess,    in   search  of  the 


32 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


God.  And  they  were  all  amazed,  and  were  in  doubt,  saying  one  12 
to  another.  What  meaneth  this?  Others  mocking,  said,  These  13 
men  are  full  of  new  wine. But  Peter,  standing  up  with  the  11 


Promised  Land.  It  bordered  upon 
Judea,  and  probably  contained  many 
Jews.  —  Thz  wonderful  works  of  God. 
The  faculty  of  speaking  in  various 
languages  was  not  exercised  in  a 
trivial  manner,  but  in  accordance 
with  the  great  purposes  for  which  it 
was  given,  of  proclaiming  tlie  truths 
of  Christianity,  and  the  wonderful 
events  which  God  had  accomplished 
respecting  his  Son  Jesus  Christ, 
especially  his  life,  death,  resurrec- 
tion, and  ascension.  While,  then, 
the  miracle  itself  fulfilled  the  pur- 
pose of  all  miracles,  of  stirring  the 
fountains  of  wonder  and  faith  in  the 
human  heart,  it  was  also  made  the 
vehicle  of  propagating  to  multitudes 
of  minds,  from  all  parts  of  the  then 
known  world,  those  sublime  facts 
upon  which  the  gospel  rests,  as  on 
an  impregnable  foundation. 

12,  13.  Amazed  —  in  doubt,  &fc. 
The  description  of  the  effects  is  as 
natural  and  life-like,  as  the  descrip- 
tion above  of  the  cause  that  produced 
them.  Every  line  bespeaks  the  eye 
and  ear-witness.  It  would  be  more 
wonderful,  and  require  more  creduli- 
ty to  believe,  that  any  writer  could 
fabricate  such  a  story  as  this  from 
his  own  imagination,  and  exhibit  so 
much  naturalness  in  relating  what  is 
supernatural,  than  to  credit  the  real- 
ity of  every  miracle  in  the  New 
Testament.  It  is  not  the  Christian 
that  is  most  credulous,  but  the  un- 
believer. It  is  the  infidel  that  re- 
jects the  belief  of  what  is  reasonable, 
to  believe  in  impossibilities,  to  be- 
lieve that  man  could  make  up  such 
a  fiction  ;  so  natural,  so  consistent 
in  every  part,  so  powerful  in  its  ef- 
fect upon  mankind,  so  instinctive 
with  new  and  ever-growing  energy 
upon  the  spiritual  life  of  the  world. 
One  party  took  the  matter  serious- 


ly, and  were  astonished ;  the  others 
made  a  jest  of  it,  as  if  nothing  re- 
markable had  happened.  Lightfoot 
conjectures  that  tlie  latter  were  na- 
tives of  Judea,  who,  hearing  the 
disciples  speak  strange  tongues, 
deemed  it  mere  jargon.  But  this  is 
unnecessary.  Human  nature  shines 
out  independently  of  national  char- 
acteristics in  tliese  verses.  The 
constitution  and  the  habits  of  some 
would  incline  them  more  to  wonder, 
others  more  to  ridicule.  Some  have 
more  marvellousness,  others  more 
mirthfulness.  —  Fidl  of  new  ivine. 
Rather,  accoiding  to  the  original, 
"  full  of  sweet  wine."  There  could 
be  no  new  M-ine  at  this  season  of 
the  year.  There  is  no  evidence 
that  it  was  meant  that  they  had 
drank  wine  lately  made,  but  wine 
preserved  sweet.  This  is  said,  by 
the  ancient  authors,  to  have  distilled 
from  the  grape  before  it  Avas  pressed, 
and  was  in  some  way  kept  sweet, 
and  was  also  very  strong.  Plutarch 
informs  us  that  the  ancients  kept 
tlieir  wines,  in  a  cool  situation,  sweet, 
a  long  time ;  and  that  they  retained 
their  intoxicating  property.  Horace, 
in  the  second  book  of  his  Satires, 
apparently  speaks  of  such  wines.  If 
it  had  been  "  new,"  unfermentcd 
wine,  technically  called  must,  the 
point  of  the  mockery  would  have 
been  lost,  for  that  could  not  in- 
toxicate. Mat  x.  25,  xi.  19.  The 
objection  offered  in  this  verse  against 
tlie  apostles  is  of  a  piece  with 
many  which  have  been  offered 
against  Christianity,  in  every  age, 
by  the  scorner  and  the  unbeliever 
—  slanders,  not  reasons ;  jests,  not 
arguments. 

14.  Bid  Peter,  The  character  of 
Peter,  as  exhibited  in  the  book  of 
the  Acts,  harmonizes  perfectly  witli 


II.] 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


83 


eleven,  lifted  up  his  voice,  and  said  unto  them,  Ye  men  of  Judea, 
and  all  ye  that  dwell  at  Jerusalem,  be  this  known  unto  you,  and 

15  hearken  to  my  words  :  for  these  are  not  drunken,  as  ye  suppose, 

16  seeing  it  is  hut  the  third  hour  of  the  day.     But  this  is  that  which 


tlie  delineation  of  him  in  the  four 
Gospels.  We  see  tlie  same  impetu- 
ous being  almost  starting  to  life 
from  every  page  of  the  history :  bold, 
hasty,  forward  ;  and  yet,  with  all  this 
unity,  there  is  change  and  progress ; 
his  downfalls  teach  him  wisdom ;  the 
Spirit  gives  him  elevation ;  he  is 
equally  bold,  but  more  firm,  hence- 
forth, Acts  iv.  13 ;  still,  however,  long 
afterwards  manifesting  some  identity 
with  the  Peter  that  denied  his  Mas- 
ter. Gal.  ii.  1 1-14.  —  With,  the  eleven. 
It  has  been  inferred  from  this  verse, 
that  by  all,  in  ver.  1,  is  meant  only 
the  Twelve,  as  they  now  are  the  only 
ones  spoken  of;  but  this  conclusion 
does  notnecessarily  follow,  for  Peter 
might  have  stood  forth  with  the 
apostolic  band  as  the  leaders  of  the 
holy  movement,  but  not  as  the  only 
ones  that  had  been  touched  by  the 
heavenly  spirit. —  Ye  men  of  Judea, 
i.  e.  native  Jews  of  the  country. — 
All  ye  that  dwell  at  Jerusalem.  By 
"  dwell "  is  here  meant "  sojourn,"  not 
live  permanently.  Under  this  term 
are  included  all,  both  Jews  and  prose- 
lytes, who  had  made  a  pilgrimage 
from  foreign  lands  to  attend  the 
sacred  festival,  and  were  abiding  for 
a  time  in  the  city,  longer  or  shorter. 
Observe  the  respectful  and  concilia- 
tory tone  of  the  introduction  of  the 
apostle's  speech,  though  a  gross  in- 
sult had  been  offered  him.  He  ren- 
dered not  railing  for  railing,  but, 
contrariv^ise,  blessing.  1  Pet.  iii.  9  ; 
2  Tim.  ii.  24, 25.  He  is  now  clothed 
Avith  a  new  courage ;  he  can  bear  a 
rebuff  better  than  in  the  courts  of 
the  high  priest ;  he  can  confess  his 
Lord  openly  before  his  enemies  and 
scoffers.  He  earnestly  entreats  them 
to  listen  with  candor  to  his  remarks, 


nor  entreats  in  vain,  as  the  sequel 
proves. 

15,  IG.  Seeing  it  is  but  the  third 
hour  of  the  day.  This  is  the  reason 
assigned  by  the  apostle  w^iy  they 
could  not  have  been  intoxicated. 
According  to  the  Jewish  division  of 
time,  the  third  hour  was  nine  o'clock 
in  the  morning.  The  Talmuds  in- 
form us  that  "  it  was  not  lawful  for 
a  man  to  taste  any  thing  until  he 
had  offered  his  prayer."  Josephus, 
the  historian  of  the  Jews,  also  con- 
firms this  view,  and  observes  that 
the  assembly,  on  sacred  days,  was 
not  dismissed  to  breakfast  until  the 
sixth  hour,  or  noon,  tliat  is,  till  after 
the  sacred  oblations  and  prayers. 
These  authentic  facts  give  great 
weight  to  the  reasoning  of  Peter, 
and  explain  more  fully  to  us  what  is 
only  implied  in  his  address,  though 
it  was  well  knoAvn  to  his  auditors. 
The  incidental  illustrations  of  an- 
cient manners  and  opinions,  the 
slight  and  undesigned,  and  therefore 
more  impartial  and  forcible,  cor- 
roborations of  the  sacred  AM-iters, 
which  have  beon  collected  by  those 
learned  divines,  Lightfoot  and  Lard- 
ner,  not  to  mention  others,  consti- 
tute a  mass  of  proof  in  support  of 
the  genuineness  and  authenticity  of 
the  books  of  the  New  Testament, 
and  of  the  credibility  of  the  Gospel 
history,  perfectly  irresistible  as  an 
historical  argument.  —  But  this  is 
that,  S{c.  Peter  had  rebutted  the 
charge  of  drunkenness  by  showing 
its  impossibility  on  account  of  the 
hour  of  the  day,  and  he  now  pro- 
ceeds to  assign  a  reason  for  what 
had  occurred,  and  to  justify  himself 
by  an  appeal  to  their  venerated 
Scriptures.    It  was  a  scene  such  aa 


34 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


was  spoken  by  the  prophet  Joel,  And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  the  n 
last  days,  saith  God,  I  will  pour  out  of  my  Spirit  upon  all  flesh : 
and  your  sons  and  your  daughters  shall  prophesy,  and  your  young 
men  shall  see  visions,  and  your  old  men  shall  dream  dreams  :  and  18 
on  my  servants,  and  on  my  hand-maidens,  I  will  pour  out  in  those 
days  of  my  Spirit;  and  they  shall  prophesy:    and  I  will  show  19 
wonders  in  heaven  above,  and  signs  in  the  earth  beneath ;  blood, 
and  fire,  and  vapor  of  smoke.      The  sun  shall  be  turned  into  20 
darkness,  and  the  moon  into  blood,  before  that  great  and  notable 
day  of  the  Lord  come.     And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  whoso-  21 


the  prophet  himself  had  predicted. 
It  was  but  making  good  the  language 
of  J  oel  ii.  28  -  32,  iii.  15.  When  we 
consider  the  insuperable  objections 
to  assigning  two  senses  to  any  pas- 
sage of  the  Sacred  Book,  and  then 
read  the  prophecy  of  Joel  in  con- 
nexion, we  shall  be  convinced  that 
he  refers  to  the  age  of  the  Messiah. 
Joel  first  wrote  in  his  book  of  his 
own  times,  and  then  of  those  suc- 
ceeding them,  down  to  the  advent 
of  the  Messiah.  Peter  quotes  his 
language  as  illustrative  of,  and  ful- 
filled in,  the  events  tlien  occurring 
in  the  presence  of  his  audience.  It 
is  a  highly  poetical  description  of  a 
great  revolution  in  human  affairs  at 
the  period  of  the  Messiah,  but  prob- 
ably had  no  original,  peculiar  ref- 
erence to  the  day  of  Pt'Utecost. 
The  apostle  uses  it  rather  rhetori- 
cally than  theologically.  The  proph- 
et predicts  in  general,  the  apostle 
applies  his  prediction  to  a  particular 
case. 

17-21.  In  the,  last  days.  By 
some,  this  phrase  is  understood  to 
mean  "  in  the  days  of  the  Messiah," 
the  last  great  era  of  the  world's 
history ;  but  by  others,  with  more 
probability,  "  the  last  days  of  the 
Jewish  dispensation."  It  is  obser- 
vable that  it  is  not  found  in  any  of 
the  versions  or  the  original  Hebrew 
of  Joel,  but  was  added  by  the  apos- 
tle as  if  to  make  a  more  suitable 


introduction.  The  expression  in  the 
prophet  is  "afterward."  The  ab- 
sence of  accuracy,  in  the  quota- 
tions of  the  Old  Testament  intro- 
duced into  the  New,  betokens  rather 
a  use  of  them  by  way  of  accommo- 
dation than  of  rigid  fulfilment  —  / 
loill  pour  out  of  my  Spirit  upon  all 
Jlesh.  The  Spirit  is  not  a  person  or 
a  distinction  of  the  Godhead,  but  an 
influence,  a  light,  a  wannth,  issu- 
ing tlierefrom  to  enkindle  mankind. 
The  maxims  of  the  Jewish  schools 
were,  « The  Divine  Majesty  dAvell- 
eth  not  on  any  out  of  the  land  of 
Israel;"  "The  Holy  Ghost  is  nev- 
er imparted  to  any  Gentile."  But 
elsewhere  it  was  said  by  the  Rab- 
bins, "  When  Moses  laid  his  hands 
upon  Joshua,  the  holy,  blessed  God 
said,  '  In  the  time  of  the  old  text, 
each  individual  prophet  prophesied ; 
but  in  the  times  of  the  Alessiah,  all 
the  Israelites  shall  be  prophets.'" 
In  the  enumeration  of  "  sons  "  and 
"  daughters,"  "  young  men  "  and  "  old 
men,"  "  servants  and  hand-maidens," 
is  conveyed  the  idea  that  all  classes, 
sexes,  and  ages,  would  be  iml)ued 
with  the  most  abundant  knowledge 
of  divine  things.  New  and  bright- 
er revelations  would  be  given  to  tlie 
world,  and  more  universally  diffused 
among  all  tl)e  masses  of  society.  — 
Wonders  in  heaven  above,  ^c.  The 
description  here  given  has  no  literal, 
pointed  application,  it  is  clear,  to  the 


II.] 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


35 


22  ever  shall  call  on  the  name  of  the  Lord,  shall  be  saved.     Ye  men 
of  Israel,  hear  these  words ;   Jesus  of  Nazareth,  a  man  approved 


events  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  ex- 
cept so  far  as  they  poetically  set 
forth  a  great  revolution  in  the  polit- 
ical or  religious  affairs  of  the  w^orld, 
by  images  drawn  from  the  heavenly 
bodies  and  meteorology.  See  the 
note  on  Mat.  xxiv.  29;  Luke  xxi. 
25,  xxiii.  30 ;  Rev.  vi.  16.  But  this 
imagery  is  very  much  like  that 
■which  our  Lord  uses  to  describe 
the  overthrow  of  the  Holy  City.  — 
Vnpor  of  smoke.  In  the  Hebrew, 
"  pillars  of  smoke,"  probably  in  ref- 
erence to  the  appearance  of  the  as- 
cending smoke,  and  its  resemblance 
to  columns  erected  in  the  atmos- 
phere. —  That  great  and  notable  day 
of  the  Lord.  The  changes  and 
convulsions  here  depicted  find  no 
counterpart  after  the  advent  of  the 
Messiah,  unless  it  be  in  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  city  of  Jerusalem  and 
the  Jewish  worship.  The  expres- 
sion, "  day  of  the  Lord,"  is  often 
used  in  the  Scriptures  to  denote  a 
time  of  visitation  and  judgment, 
when  punishment  would  be  inflicted 
for  national  sins.  Is.  ii.  12;  Ezek. 
XXX.  3  ;  1  Thess.  v.  2.  —  Whosoever 
shall  call  on  the  name  of  the  Lord. 
Rom.  X.  13.  Rosenmuller  and 
Kuinoel  remark  that  this  phrase 
means  "  to  worship  God,"  but  that 
Peter  accommodated  the  language 
to  his  own  times  in  the  following 
sense  :  "  To  him  who  now  receives 
the  doctrine  of  Christ,  it  will  be 
well ;  God  will  favor  him."  —  Saved. 
As  a  matter  of  history,  it  may  be 
mentioned,  in  this  connexion,  that, 
though  the  Jews  perished  by  myriads 
in  the  destruction  of  their  city  by 
the  Romans,  yet  that  not  one  of  the 
Christians  was  among  the  number, 
for  they  had  all  fled,  warned  by 
prophecy,  and  taken  refuge  beyond 
the  Jordan.  There  is  a  spiritual 
salvation,  too,  which  is  insured  to 


all  that  call  upon  the  Lord,  to 
all  that  call  upon  him  in  truth ; 
to  all  that  acknowledge  Jesus  as 
the  Messiah,  and  embrace  his  re- 
ligion. 

22.  Hear  these  words.  Peter  is 
earnest  to  induce  them  to  hear 
him ;  he  again  and  again  appeals 
to  their  candor ;  he  urges  upon  them 
arguments  and  reasons.  He  had 
cast  off  the  charge  of  intoxication, 
and  justified  the  outpouring  of  the 
Spirit  by  the  predictions  of  one  of 
their  own  prophets;  he  now  draws 
the  attention  of  his  audience  more 
directly  to  the  great  subject  itself, 
"Jesus  Christ  and  him  crucified." 
—  Of  JVazareth.  He  hesitates  not 
openly  and  boldly  to  avow  the  ig- 
noble origin  of  his  Master,  however 
distasteful  to  his  hearers.  John  i. 
46,  vii.  41,  52.  How  diff*erent  from 
the  scene  in  the  hall  of  Caiaphas, 
when  he  was  charged,  Luke  xxii. 
59,  with  being  a  Galilean!  What 
could  have  wrought  so  great  a 
change,  in  so  short  a  period,  but 
just  those  events  related  in  the 
gospel  history,  the  resurrection  and 
ascension  of  Christ,  and  the  descent 
of  the  Spirit?  The  mighty  effect 
must  have  had  a  mighty  cause.  — 
Jl  man  approved  of  God.  Or  "  by 
God."  Better  rendered  by  Thom- 
son, "  a  man  from  God,  pointed  out 
to  you,"  &c. ;  or  by  Wakefield  and 
others,  "proved  unto  you  to  be  a 
man  from  God,"  &c.  The  "  miracles, 
wonders,  and  signs,"  —  a  Hebrew- 
accumulation  of  terms  to  express  the 
idea  more  forcibly,  —  were  the  most 
powerful  proofs  that  Jesus  was  a 
man  from  God,  as  he  often  argued 
with  the  unbelieving  Jews.  Other 
proofs  would  be  weak,  unless  these 
external  ones  took  the  lead  and  pre- 
pared the  Avay  for  their  introduction ; 
as  these  also,  in  like  manner,  would 


86 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


of  God  among  you  by  miracles,  and  wonders,  and  signs,  which 
God  did  by  him  in  the  midst  of  you,  as  ye  yourselves  also  know : 


be  unavailing,  unless  they  were  ac- 
companied and  reenforced  by  the 
spiritual  and  internal  auxiliaries  of  a 
spotless  character,  heavenly  teach- 
ings, and  general  adaptation  and  har- 
mony. Its  miraculous  characteris- 
tics are  as  inseparable  from  Chris- 
tianity, as  the  bones  from  the  body 
which  they  support  and  protect. 
United  they  stand,  divided  they  fall. 
What  view  Peter  took  of  the  nature 
of  Christ,  is  apparent  from  this  verse. 
Could  he  have  spoken  of  him  as  he 
has  done  here,  if  he  regarded  him  as 
God,  the  infinite  and  eternal  Being  ? 
Could  he  have  used  the  distinction  of 
persons  he  has  made  here,  if  Jesus  and 
God  were  tlie  same  being,if  they  were 
literally  one  ?  Calmet,  a  Trinitarian 
writer,  says,  that,  "  in  this  passage, 
St.  Peter  speaks  of  Jesus  Christ  only 
as  a  prophet  and  a  distinguished  man, 
visibly  sent  out  and  approved  by 
God.  It  was  not  necessary  at  first 
to  preach  his  Divinity,  lest  he  should 
offend  his  hearers,  who  were  as  yet 
incapable  of  receiving  so  sublime  a 
truth."  Erasmus  says  virtually  the 
same.  But  this  would  have  been  a 
singular  course  for  one  so  bold  and 
open  as  Peter  to  take ;  and  if  he  does 
not  here  preach  the  whole  truth  re- 
specting the  nature  of  Jesus  Clu-ist, 
where  does  he  thus  preach  it  ?  where 
does  he  proclaim  that  Jesus  is  God  ? 
Where  can  Ave  look  with  more  cer- 
tainty to  ascertain  what  is  Christian- 
ity^ apart  from  the  instructions  of  tiie 
Meister,  than  to  the  discourses  of  his 
inspired  apostles  ?  who  had  no  mo- 
tive for  concealment,  but  were  called 
upon,  by  the  nature  of  their  office 
and  the  wants  of  the  world,  to  preach 
'•the  truth,  the  whole  truth,  and 
nothing  but  the  truth."  When  Peter 
calls  Jesus  a  "  man,"  doubtless  he  did 
not  mean  that  he  was,  as  has  been 
unhappily  phrased,  «  a  mere  man," 


for  he  was  different  from  all  others 
in  his  birth,  capacities,  and  endow- 
ments. He  was  raised  up  for  a  sub- 
lime and  special  end.  He  was  the 
first-born  of  a  new  creation  ;  a  new 
Adam,  from  whom  should  spring 
spiritually  a  new  human  race.  He 
was  more  than  prophet.  He  was  a 
being  designed  to  be  the  leader  and 
harbinger,  the  father  and  author,  of  a 
new  order  of  creatures. 

But  that  Peter,  while  calling  him 
"  man,"  did  not  also  secretly  believe 
him  to  be  God,  and  thus  to  be  pos- 
sessed of  two  natures,  is  most  certain 
from  the  very  nature  of  things.  For 
to  assert  that  the  same  being  has 
two  natures,  is  two  persons  in  one, 
as  is  done  in  the  present  instance  by 
many,  is  not  at  all  a  mystery,  but  a 
bold  and  palpable  solecism,  a  flat 
contradiction  of  terms.  It  is  to  say, 
as  has  been  forcibly  urged  by  Yates, 
"  that  the  same  mind  is  both  a-eated 
and  uncreated,  hoth  Jinite  and  infinite^ 
both  able  to  do  all  things  and  not 
able,  both  ignorant  of  certain  subjects 
and  possessed  of  the  most  intimate 
knowledge  of  them.  If  it  be  not  cer- 
tain that  such  a  doctrine  as  this  is 
false,  there  is  no  certainty  upon  any 
subject.  It  is  in  vain  to  call  it  a 
mystery ;  it  is  an  absurdity,  an  im- 
possibility."—  In  the  midst  of  you,  as 
ye  yourselves  also  know.  John  xv.  24. 
This  appeal  to  their  personal  obser- 
vation was  powerful,  because  it  was 
founded  on  truth.  They  could  not 
deny  that  they  had  seen  the  "  mira- 
cles, and  wonders,  and  signs."  Peter, 
therefore,  argued  with  them  without 
fear  of  contradiction,  for  nobody 
could  have  the  effrontery  to  gainsay 
the  facts  themselves,  Avhatever  ex- 
planation they  might  put  upon  them. 
The  Jews  acknowledged  the  won- 
derful works  of  our  Lord,  and  we 
have  thus  tlie  testimony  not  only  of 


II.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


m 


23  him,  being  delivered  by  the  determinate  counsel  and  foreknowl- 
edge of  God,  ye  have  taken,  and  by  wicked  hands  have  crucified 


friends,  but  of  foes,  to  their  reaUty. 
Mat.  xii.  24  ;  John  iii.  2,  xi.  47. 
Peter  was  addressing  at  this  time 
the  very  individuals  who  had  wit- 
nessed the  cures  performed  by  Christ, 
who  had  beheld  tlie  "signs"  at  the 
crucifixion ;  that  the  sun  was  dark- 
ened, and  the  earth, "  sighing  through 
all  her  works,  gave  signs  of  Avoe ; " 
and  his  words  must  have  sunk  into 
their  hearts  with  a  tlirilling  and  in- 
describable power,  of  which  we  can- 
not now  conceive,  and  we  cease  to 
wonder  at  the  effects  described  in 
ver.  37,  41. 

23.  Delivered,  i.  e.  delivered  up. 
The  word,  as  it  stands  in  the  text, 
means  directly  the  opposite  of  the 
original.  Jesus  was  delivered  up,  or 
betrayed,  by  Judas  to  the  Jews,  and 
also  by  the  Jews  delivered  up  to  the 
Romans.  —  The  determinate  counsel 
and  foreknowledge,  i.  e.  what  God 
had  willed  and  known.  It  might  be 
objected,  on  the  part  of  the  cavilling 
Jews,  that  Jesus  could  not  be  the 
true  Messiah,  fi)r  God  had  rejected 
him,  had  suffered  him  to  be  put  to 
death,  in  the  most  dishonorable  man- 
ner, by  the  hands  of  wicked  men. 
Surely  this  could  not  be  the  illustri- 
ous and  eternal  Messiah,  the  sublime 
hope  of  their  nation,  the  King  of  the 
world  !  Peter  removes  this  difficulty, 
by  alleging  that  it  was  foreknown 
and  foreordained  that  it  should  be 
so  ;  the  Messiah  was  to  die,  tliat 
from  his  death  might  come  life  to 
the  world.  It  was  the  determinate, 
the  defined  and  settled,  counsel  and 
foreknowledge  of  God  that  Jesus 
should  die.  It  was  not  therefore  a 
strange  thing  that  had  happened,  but 
what  was  to  be  looked  for  in  the  or- 
dinations of  the  Most  High.  Luke 
xxiv.  4o.  Still  the  apostle,  by  de- 
claring it  to  have  taken  place  ac- 
cording to  the  will  and  foreknow  1- 

VOL.  III.  4 


edge  of  God,  does  not  absolve  the 
actors  from  the  guilt  of  Christ's 
death,  but  speaks  of  the  "wicked 
hands,"  or,  if  that  phrase  is  doubtful, 
through  the  whole  tenor  of  the  dis- 
course accuses  them  of  a  deep-dyed 
crime.  The  old  question  of  God's 
foreknowledge  and  man's  free  agen- 
cy is  deep  as  the  sea,  and  broad  as  the 
sea,  and  no  man  can  fathom  it.  As 
Abbott  has  observed,  "The  human 
mind  will  probably  ever  continue  to 
speculate  in  vain  upon  this  subject 
No  one  has  yet  resolved  the  theo- 
retical difficulties  in  which  it  is 
involved,  altliough,  practically,  no 
difficulty  arises  from  it  whatever." — 
By  ivicked  hands,  i.e.  by  the  Ro- 
mans, who,  as  being  Gentiles,  were 
called  sinners.  The  Greek  adjective, 
translated  "wicked,"  means,  literally, 
"  without  law,"  i.  e.  the  heathen. 
The  language  of  the  apostle  has, 
therefore,  a  peculiar  significance, 
which  is  lost  in  our  version.  It  is 
true,  Jesus  was  put  to  death  by 
wicked  men,  by  hardened,  sensual, 
cruel  Romans,  whose  history  was 
an  epitome  of  blood :  though  Jesus 
prayed  for  tlieir  forgiveness,  because 
they  did  not  know,  at  least  in  this 
instance,  what  they  did  ;  they  were 
unaware  of  the  divine  character  and 
dignity  of  him  upon  whom  they  laid 
such  ruthless  hands.  But  Peter  was 
noAv  remonstrating  with  the  Jews, 
and  he  would  pierce  their  conscience 
witli  the  peculiar  remorse  that  they 
had  delivered  up  their  Messiah,  their 
precious  and  glorious  Deliverer,  the 
hope  of  ages,  into  the  hands  of  the 
heathen  :  it  would  have  been  sinful 
enough  to  put  him  to  deatli  them- 
selves, but  it  was  yet  worse  to  em- 
ploy the  "  sinners,"  the  "  dogs,"  of 
the  uncircumcised,  as  they  called 
the  Gentiles,  to  torture  and  crucify 
their  Lord  of  glory. 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


and  slain :  whom  God  hath  raised  up,  having  loosed  the  pains  of  24 
death :  because  it  was  not  possible  that  he  should  be  holden  of 
it.     For  David  speaketh  concerning  him,  I  foresaw  the  Lord  25 
always  before  my  face;  for  he  is  on  my  right  hand,  that  I  should 
not  be  moved  :  therefore  did  my  heart  rejoice,  and  my  tongue  was  26 
glad ;  moreover  also,  my  flesh  shall  rest  in  hope :  because  thou  27 
wilt  not  leave  my  soul  in  hell,  neither  wilt  thou  suffer  thy  Holy 
One  to  see  corruption.     Thou  hast  made  known  to  me  the  ways  28 
of  life ;    thou  shalt  make  me  full  of  joy  with  thy  countenance. 


24  -  28.  Whom  God  hath  raised  up. 
In  this  bold  and  unrefuted  assertion 
of  the  resurrection  of  our  Saviour, 
we  see  evidence  of  its  reality. 
It  was  but  a  few  weeks  ago  since 
that  event  A  report  to  discredit  it 
had  been  industriously  circulated 
among  the  Jews,  and  the  soldiers 
had  been  bribed  to  bear  witness  to 
its  falsehood.  Mat.  xxviii.  1 1  -  15. 
But  Peter,  in  the  presence  of  assem- 
bled thousands,  courageously  vindi- 
cates that  essential  fact ;  and,  what  is 
to  the  point,  suffers  no  contradiction. 
The  negative  argument  of  silence 
on  the  part  of  enemies,  as  well  as 
the  positive  one  of  the  testimony  of 
friends,  corroborates  the  resurrec- 
tion of  Jesus.  We  also  remark  that 
God  is  said  to  have  raised  up  his 
Son ;  he  did  not  rise  of  his  own 
power  or  will  from  the  sleep  of  the 
tomb.  The  resurrection  was  a  mir- 
acle wrought  by  the  Almiglity,  not 
by  Christ.  See  notes  on  John  x. 
16-18. — Having  loosed  the  pains 
of  death.  Or,  more  properly  trans- 
lated, "the  bonds  of  death."  Jesus 
is  represented  as  bound  in  the  prison- 
house  of  death,  until  God  interposed 
and  freed  him  on  the  third  day. — 
Because  it  ivas  not  possible  that  he 
should  be  holden  of  it.  The  impos- 
sibility here  spoken  of  did  not  con- 
sist in  any  natural  obstacle,  but  in 
the  fact  that  « it  was  unfit  in  itself, 
and  contrary  to  the  tenor  of  prophe- 
cy," that  the  Messiah  should  "  see 


corruption"  in  the  grave.  No  tomb 
was  strong  enough  to  hold  his 
body,  when  the  voice  of  God  called 
him  forth  to  life.  He  arose  triumph- 
ant, and  "  abolished  death."  —  For 
David.  In  Ps.  xvi.  8-11.  David 
was  regarded  by  the  Jews  as  tlie 
type  of  the  Messiah.  The  quotation, 
as  usual  in  the  New  Testament,  is 
made  from  the  Septuatrint  Greek 
version,  not  from  the  Hebrew  origi- 
nal. —  I  foresaw  the  Lord,  &,'€.  Noyes, 
in  his  admirable  version  of  the 
Psalms,  has  thus  translated  this  pas- 
sage :  — • 

"  [  set  the  Lord  before  ine  at  all  times ; 
Since  he  is  at  my  risrht  hand,  I  siiall  not  f-ill. 
Therefore   jny  lieart  is  glad,  and  my  spirit 

rejoiceth  ; 
.My  flesh  also  dwellcth  in  security. 
For  Uioii  wilt  not  jrive  me  up  to  the  grave  ; 
Nor  wilt   thou  suffer  tl>y  holy  one  to  see  the 

pit. 
Thou  wilt  show  me  the  path  of  life  ; 
In  thy  presence  is  fulness  of  joy." 

—  Thou  ivilt  not  leave  my  soul  in 
hell.  The  word  "hell"  is  derived 
from  the  Anglo-Saxon  hel-an,  to  cov- 
er ;  a  place  covered.  Bishop  Horsley 
remarks  that  "  The  English  word 
'  hell,'  in  its  primary  and  natural 
meaning,  signifies  nothing  more  than 
'  the  unseen  and  covered  place,'  and 
is  properly  used,  both  in  the  Old  and 
New  Testament,  to  render  the  He- 
brew word  in  the  one,  and  the  Greek 
word  in  the  other,  which  denote  the 
invisible  mansion  of  disembodied 
souls,  without  any  reference  to  suf- 


II.1 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


39 


29  Men  and  brethren,  let  me  freely  speak  uato  you  of  the  patriarch 
David,  that  he  is  both  dead  and  buried,  and  his  sepulchre  is  with 

30  us  unto  this  day.     Therefore  being  a  prophet,  and  knowing  that 
God  had  sworn  with  an  oath  to  him,  that  of  the  fruit  of  his  loins, 


ferii%s."  This  might  have  been 
true  of  the  primitive  usage  of  the 
word,  but  "  hell  "  now  means,  in  Eng- 
lish, a  place  of  torment,  supposed  to 
be  the  abode  of  the  wicked  after 
death  ;  and  whenever  therefore  hades, 
tlie  Greek  word  in  the  present  text, 
is  rendered  "  hell,"  it  conveys  the 
idea,  not  of  the  vast  subterranean 
mansion  of  the  departed  good  or  bad, 
as  it  ought  to  do  according  to  Jew- 
ish belief,  but  that  of  an  abode,  ac- 
cording to  the  popular  theology,  of 
superlative  woe.  The  word  hades 
occurs  eleven  times  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament ;  Mat,  xi.  23,  xvi.  18  ;  Luke 
X.  15,  xvi.  23 ;  Acts  ii.  27, 31 ;  1  Cor. 
XV.  .55 ;  Rev.  i.  18,  vi.  8,  xx.  13,  14 ; 
and  in  every  instance  but  one,  tliat 
of  1  Cor.  XV.  55,  it  is  rendered  "  hell," 
when  the  proper  translation  would 
have  been  either  "  death,"  the 
"  grave,"  as  in  1  Cor.  xv.  55,  or  the 
"  abode  of  the  dead,"  as  might  suit 
the  connexion.  Another  word,  which 
is  translated  "  hell "  in  our  version 
of  the  New  Testament,  is  gekenna, 
which  is  of  Hebrew  origin,  signify- 
ing "  the  valley  of  Hinnom ;"  a  valley 
near  Jerusalem,  where  the  offal  and 
refuse  of  the  city  were  cast,  and 
fires  were  constantly  kept  to  con- 
sume them,  and  worms  were  always 
preying  upon  the  decayed  matter. 
See  note  on  Mat.  v.  22.  This  term 
is  us  -d  eleven  times  by  our  Lord, 
and  once  by  James,  and  signifies 
"punishment"  or  "a  place  of  pun- 
ishment" The  only  other  word 
which  is  rendered  "hell"  in  the 
New  Testament,  is  Tariants.  It  is 
used  once  in  2  Peter  ii.  4.  It  is  a 
Greek  word,  taken  from  the  ancient 
mythology,  and  signifies  the  "  abyss," 
or  abode   of  the   Titans,   or   place 


where  Ixion,  Sisyphus,  and  others, 
were  fabled  to  be  punished.  —  To 
see  corruption.  Which  means  to 
suffer  decay,  to  experience  decom- 
position. Acts  xiii.  35. 

29.  Men  and  brethren.  Hebrew 
for  "  brethren."  To  call  their  atten- 
tion to  something  important  which 
he  was  about  to  utter,  he  uses  this 
address  ;  as  Ave  naturally  call  a  per- 
son by  name  in  conversation,  whose 
ear  Ave  wish  to  gain  to  what  we  are 
about  to  say.  —  The  patriarch  David. 
Acts  xiii.  36  ;  1  Kings  ii.  10.  This 
title  was  applied  to  David  because 
he  was  the  venerable  ancestor  of  the 
royal  line,  Avldch  for  so  many  years 
sat  on  tJie  JeAvish  throne,  and  from 
Avhich  the  Messiah  originated.  It  is 
likewise  used  in  connexion  Avith  the 
names  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob, 
the  progenitors  of  the  Israelites. 
Acts  vii.  8,  9;  Heb.  vii.  4.  The 
heads  of.  the  families,  or  the  chief 
men  of  the  tribes,  Avere  also  thus 
designated.  2  Chron.  xix.  8.  —  His 
sepulchre  is  ivith  us  unto  this  day. 
The  sepulchre  of  the  kings  was  on 
Mount  Zion.  David,  as  Ave  are  in- 
formed by  Josephus,  was  buried  Avith 
great  pomp  and  splendor  by  liis  son 
Solomon,  and  an  immense  sum  of 
mon'^y  deposited  in  the  tomb  ;  for 
he  states  that,  1300  years  afterAvards, 
Avhen  Hyrcanus  Avas  besieged  by 
x\ntiochus,  he  took  out  3000  talents 
to  induce  the  enemy  by  money  to 
raise  the  siege ;  and  Herod  also  sub- 
sequently rifled  the  tomb  of  a  large 
amount  of  treasure. 

30  -  32.  It  has  long  been  a  con- 
troverted point  among  interpreters, 
hoAv  the  apostle  should  be  under- 
stood in  thus  quoting  and  applying 
this  Psalm  of  David  to  the  Messiah. 


40 


THE  ACTS 


[Cha] 


according  to  the  flesh,  he  would  raise  up  Christ  to  sit  on  his 
throne ;  he  seeing  this  before,  spake  of  the  resurrection  of  Christ,  31 


The  same  difficulty  also  arises  in 
relation  to  the  use  made  of  it  by- 
Paul  in  Acts  xiii.  34  -  36.  The  gen- 
eral method  is  to  consider  David  as 
uttering  in  Ps.  xvi.  a  literal  prophecy 
of  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ, 
which  Peter  quotes  as  conclusive 
proof  that  Jesus  was  the  Messiah, 
since  he  had  been  raised  up  by  God 
from  the  dead,  and  thus  fulfilled  the 
words  of  the  inspired  prophet.  But 
against  this  view  there  lies  the  great 
objection,  that  the  Psahn  bears  not 
the  least  apparent  trace  of  a  pro- 
phetic character,  regarding  tlie  dis- 
tant coming  Messiah.  As  observed 
by  Noyes,  and  as  appears  from  the 
version  by  him,  before  quoted,  "  The 
person  who  is  the  subject  of  this 
Psahn  expresses  his  entire  depend- 
ence upon  God,  his  gratitude  for 
divine  goodness,  his  satisfaction  with 
the  condition  assigned  him,  and  his 
firm  hopes  of  future  protection  and 
favor."  It  would  even  seem  to  be 
doubtful,  according  to  tlie  above 
translation,  whether  the  author  origi- 
nally had  any  reference  to  any 
tiling  except  the  present  life. 

Agam,  to  quote  further  the  same 
author,  "Some  Christians  who  be- 
lieve the  apostles  to  be  inspired  as 
teachers  of  the  Christian  system, 
rather  than  as  reasoners  and  inter- 
preters, suppose  David,  or  the  author 
of  the  Psalm,  to  be  the  only  person 
described  in  it."  So  that  Peter  and 
Paul  are  regarded  by  this  class  of 
interpreters,  as  having  made  this  mis- 
take as  to  one  class  of  the  evidences 
of  Christianity,  or  one  of  the  proofs 
of  the  resurrection  of  Christ ;  viz. 
that  they  quoted  as  a  prophecy  what 
was  not  so  in  reality,  and  had  no 
reference  to  the  Messiah.  If  tliis 
should  appear  to  be  the  fact,  the 
great  difficulty  is  the  liability  of  the 
apostles,  after  their  spiritual  illumi- 


nation, to  err  in  so  important  a  point 
as  the  proofs  of  the  truth  and  divini- 
ty of  the  Christian  religion ;  though 
that  might  perhaps  be  parrie*  by 
referring  to  the  traces  of  imperfec- 
tion or  doubt  in  relation  to  other  and 
equally  important  affairs  and  duties. 
See  Acts  xv.  6,  39  ;  Gal.  ii.  11  -  J4. 
There  is  still  another  mode  of  ex- 
planation, which  has  its  difficulties, 
but  which  is  perhaps  less  embar- 
rassed than  the  preceding  ones.  It 
supposes  that  Peter  quotes  rather  by 
way  of  rhetorical  illustration,  than  of 
theological  argument ;  that  he  uses 
a  mode  of  reasoning  adapted  to  the 
Jewish  audience  which  he  was  ad- 
dressing, as  the  author  of  tlie  Epistle 
to  the  Hebrews  pursues  a  course 
of  argumentation  best  suited  to  He- 
brew prepossessions ;  that  the  words 
David  uses  could  not  have  been  lit- 
erally applicable  to  him,  for  he  died 
and  was  buried,  and  saw  corruption ; 
but  tliat  in  a  more  sublime  sense 
they  are  to  be  understood  of  the 
Messiah,  that  he  would  arise  from 
the  dead.  It  is  true  that,  in  ver.  25, 
it  is  said  that  "  David  speaketh  con- 
cerning /tiwi,"  i.  e.  Christ ;  but  such 
expressions  are  in  some  measure  free 
and  popular,  not  literal ;  for,  as  Kui- 
iioel  observes,  the  formula,  "  to  speak 
concerning  any  one,"  is  often  em- 
ployed to  denote,  not  that  tlie  words 
were  peculiarly  spoken  of  the  indi- 
vidual, but  that  they  might  be  ac- 
commodated to  his  case.  See  Eph. 
V.  32,  where  the  apostle  says,  "  I 
speak  concerning  Christ  and  the 
church,"  meaning  that  he  had  intro- 
duced a  figurative  illustration  from 
the  relation  of  a  man  to  his  wife, 
wliich  was  appropriate  to  the  case  of 
Christ  and  the  church.  The  mean- 
ing would  be,  then,  that  what  David 
had  said  of  himself  was  capable  of 
being  used,  in  a  more  sublime  sense, 


II.1 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


41 


that  his  soul  was  not  left  in  hell,  neither  his  flesh  did  see  corrup- 
32  tion.     This  Jesus  hath  God  raised  up,  whereof  we  all  are   wit- 


with  reference  to  the  resurrection  of 
the  Messiah.  Newcome  says  that 
"  This  prophecy,  in  its  most  eminent 
sense,  applied  to  Jesus  Christ ;  al- 
though it  had  an  inferior  sense,  also, 
viz.  that  David  should  be  preserved 
from  death,  notwithstanding  the  mal- 
ice and  power  of  his  enemies."  The 
case  of  Caiaphas,  see  notes  on  John 
xi.  49  -  52,  is  in  point  here  to  some 
extent  He  did  not  predict,  as  a 
prophet,  tlie  death  of  Jesus,  but  he 
said  Avhat  might  afterwards  be  re- 
garded in  the  light  of  prophecy,  and 
tiius  applied.  Still  this  method  is 
burdened  with  the  objections  of  be- 
ing rather  obscure,  of  holding  to  the 
theory  of  two  senses,  of  not  assign- 
ing a  clear  and  definite  meaning  to 
the  apostle's  Avords,  and  of  supposing 
that  he  used  arguments  to  convince 
the  JeAvs  that  did  not  have  weight 
with  his  own  mind,  —  a  device  better 
suited  to  a  Grecian  sophist  than  a 
('hristian  apostle. 

There  is  also  another  interpreta- 
tion of  the  following  kind  :  David  is 
understood,  in  the  Psalm,  to  rejoice 
that  his  seed  should  not  be  extinct ; 
that  though  he  died,  yet  the  line 
should  be  continued ;  for  the  Mes- 
siah had  been  promised,  and  that  was 
a  guaranty  that  the  family  would  be 
perpetuated.  The  Jews  considered 
it  a  great  misfortune  to  die  child- 
loss,  and  have  one's  family  cease  at 
death.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  to 
view  one's  posterity  extending  on  in 
unbroken  succession,  v/as  a  matter 
of  great  rejoicing.  For  example, 
recur  to  these  text's  :  Deut.  xvii.  20 ; 
Vs.  XX xvii.  28.  It  was  in  such  a 
frame  of  mind  thit  the  Psalm  was 
composed.  Peabody  remarks,  in  his 
Essay  on  Prophecy,  that  "  David  ac- 
knowledges the  promise  of  that  glo- 
rious descendant  from  himself,  in 
whom  his  name  would  be  perpetuat- 
4# 


ed,  so  that  he  should,  after  deatli, 
enjoy,  as  it  were,  a  posthumous  and 
perpetual  life.  When  he  says, '  Thou 
wilt  not  suffer  thy  holy  one  to  see 
corruption,'  he  means  the  same  that 
Horace  does  when  he  says,  ^  JVon 
omnis  moriar  ,* '  '  I  shall  not  wholly 
die,  I  shall  revive  and  live  in  the 
glory  of  that  Messiah  who  shall 
make  my  name  an  universally  hon- 
ored name,  my  kingdom  a  perpetu- 


ally glorious  kingdc 


The  apos- 


tle simply  quotes  the  Psalm  to  show 
that  it  had  been  fulfilled,  that  Da- 
vid's line  had  descended  unbroken, 
and  appeared  in  the  person  of  Jesus, 
whom  God  had  raised  up  to  be  both 
Lord  and  Christ,  and  crowned  the 
proof  of  his  authority  by  his  resur- 
rection and  ascension.  The  diffi- 
culty of  this  view  is,  that  it  makes 
what  is  said  about  God  "  raising  him 
up,"  ver.  24,  31,  32,  and  his  "resur- 
rection," as  is  usually  understood, 
from  the  dead,  to  refer  back  to  his 
original  advent  into  the  world,  and 
his  being  brought  into  being  at  first 
by  God,  Avhich  is  somewhat  hard. 
But  this  view,  on  the  whole,  is  en- 
cumbered with  as  few  difficulties, 
perhaps,  as  any  that  can  be  pro- 
posed. It  derives  considerable  sup- 
port from  the  30th  verse,  in  partic- 
ular ;  for  it  there  seems  to  be  stated 
that  the  "raising  up,"  spoken  of,  Avas 
not  simply  from  the  grave,  but  origi- 
nally upon  Christ's  first  advent  into 
the  Avorld.  See,  also,  xlcts  iii.  22, 2G, 
v.  30,  xiii.  23. 

Peabody  thus  paraphrases  ver.  30, 
31 :  "  Being  a  prophet,  and  knovAdng 
that  God  had  sworn  Avitli  an  oath  to 
him,  that,  of  the  fruit  of  his  loins,  ac- 
cording to  the  flesh,  he  Avould  raise 
up  Christ  to  sit  on  his  throne,  he, 
foreseeing  this,  said,  concerning  the 
raising  up  of  Christ,  (to  sit  on  his 
throne,)  that  his  own  (David's)  soul 


^ 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 

nesses.    .Therefore  being  by  the  right  hand  of  God  exalted,  and  33 
having  received  of  the  Father  the  promise  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  he 
hath  shed  forth  this,  which  ye  now  see  and  hear.     For  David  is  34 
not  ascended  into  the  heavens,  but  he  saith  himself,  The  Lord 
said  unto  my  Lord,  Sit  thou  on  my  right  hand,  until  I  make  thy  35 


was  not  left  in  Hades,  neither  did 
his  own  (David's)  flesh  see  corrup- 
tion." —  That  of  the  fruit  of  his 
loins,  according  to  the  Jiesh,  he  would 
raise  up  Christ  to  sit  on  his  throne. 
Griesbach  sets  aside  from  the  text, 
as  spurious,  the  expression,  "  accord- 
ing to  the  flesh  he  would  raise  up 
Christ,"  and  would  leave  it  to  read 
thus  :  "  that  of  the  fruit  of  his  loins 
one  should  sit  on  his  throne."  — 
Christ.  Should  be  «  the  Christ,"  or 
"  Messiah."  —  That  his  soul  ivas  not 
left.  The  same  distinguished  Ger- 
man critic  also  leaves  out  the  words 
"  his  soul,"  as  spurious,  and  the  sen- 
tence reads  thus :  "  tliat  he  was  not 
left."  In  both  cases,  the  best  ver- 
sions and  manuscripts  do  not  contain 
the  expressions  which  are  found  in 
the  received  text.  —  Raised  up.  This 
would  appear  to  refer  to  his  ascen- 
sion, from  the  "  therefore "  of  the 
next  verse.  —  Whereof  we  all  are  loif- 
nesses.  It  was  not  only  important  to 
assert  that  Jesus  had  been  raised  up 
by  God,  but  also  to  adduce  testimo- 
ny to  the  same  end.  The  apostle, 
therefore,  with  his  associates,  stands 
boldly  forward,  and,  in  the  presence 
of  the  Jewish  people,  declares  that 
they  were  witnesses  of  these  things. 
The  argument  from  miracle  and 
prophecy  was  corroborated  by  liv- 
ing testimony. 

33.  Acts  V.  31 ;  Phil.  ii.  9.  Be- 
ing by  tJie  right  hand  of  God  exalted. 
This  expression,  properly  rendered, 
is.  Being  exalted  at,  and  not  by,  the 
right  hand  of  God.  See,  also,  ver.  34, 
and  Acts  v.  31.  This  is  the  usual  He- 
brew figure  to  express  high  exalta- 
tion and  favor  with  God.  —  Having 
received  of  the  Father  the  promise,  8^c. 


John  xiv.  16,  26,  xv.  26,  xvi.  7,  13  - 
15.  Winer  remarks  tliat  the  phrase, 
"  to  receive  the  promise  of  the  Spir- 
it," relates  to  what  takes  place  when 
the  promised  good  itself  is  received, 
or  when  the  promise  is  fulfilled. — 
He  hath  shed  forth  this,  ^-c.  Agree- 
ably to  his  promise  and  prediction, 
now  that  he  himself  is  taken  aAvay,  a 
Holy  Spirit  is  sent  in  his  place ;  and, 
as  it  is  bestowed  by  his  request,  and 
in  accordance  with  the  assurances 
he  had  given,  it  is  said  to  be  shed 
forth  by  him.  Kuinoel  says,  "  The 
meaning  is, '  We  owe  to  Christ  those 
gifts  with  which  we  have  been  en- 
dowed, those  operations  of  the  di- 
vine power  in  which  we  rejoice.' " 
Where  is  the  propriety,  then,  of 
speaking  of  the  personality  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  when  it  is  thus  described 
as  an  influence  shed  forth,  not  of  its 
own  volition,  but  by  Christ,  or  at  liis 
request,  and  in  fulfilment  of  the  prom- 
ise of  the  Father  ?  —  See  and  hear. 
He  appeals  to  the  evidence  of  their 
own  senses.  They  had  seen  multi- 
tudes drawn  together  by  w^onder. 
They  had  heard  the  apostles  and 
disciples  using  the  gift  of  tongues, 
and  speaking  in  many  foreign  lan- 
guages. Would  they  not,  at  least, 
believe  their  own  senses  ? 

34,  35.  David  is  not  ascended  into 
the  heavens.  The  object  of  the  apos- 
tle, here,  was  not  to  represent  what 
was  the  state  of  the  dead,  but  to  as- 
sert that  the  language  of  the  Psalm 
he  quotes  could  not  be  applied  liter- 
ally to  David,  for  he  had  not  visibly 
ascended,  like  Jesus,  to  the  power 
and  glory  of  God,  though  he  might 
be  living  in  a  conscious  spiritual 
state  after  death.  —  77ie  Lord  said 


II.]  OF  THE  APOSTLES.  43 

36  foes  thy  footstool.  Therefore  let  all  the  house  of  Israel  know 
assuredly,  that  God  hath  made  that  same  Jesus  whom  ye  have 
crucified,  both  Lord  and  Christ. 

37  Now  when  they  heard  this,  they  were  pricked  in  their  heart, 
and  said  unto  Peter  and  to  the  rest  of  the  apostles,   Men  and 


unto  my  Lord.  Ps.  ex.  1.  Though 
the  same  word  is  used  in  Greek  for 
"  Lord  "  in  both  instances,  yet,  in  the 
original  Hebrew,  it  is,  "  Jehovah  said 
unto  my  Lord,"  or  Moni,  a  title  of 
high  honor  and  respect,  and  one  form 
of  which  is  sometimes  used  by  the 
Jews,  instead  of  the'  word  Jehovah, 
which  they  feared  to  utter  common- 
ly. The  expression  is  used  by  Peter, 
however  it  may  have  been  originally 
employed,  to  describe  the  superiority 
which  God  gave  his  Son  over  his 
enemies,  by  raising  him  up  on  high, 
and  placing  him  at  his  right  hand. 
—  Thy  foes  thy  footstool.  It  was 
sometimes  the  custom  for  conquer- 
ors, in  ancient  times,  to  put  their 
foot  on  the  neck  of  the  vanquished, 
in  token  of  their  victory  and  power 
over  them.  The  triumph  of  Christ, 
his  exaltation  on  high,  the  spreading 
power  and  influence  of  his  name  and 
gospel  in  the  world,  should  be  mat- 
ter of  joy  to  all  his  followers  ;  and 
should  encourage  them,  that,  if  they 
likewise  persevere,  tliey  shall  in  no 
wise  fail  of  tlie  crown  of  life.  "  If 
Ave  be  dead  with  Christ,  we  shall 
live  with  him ;  if  we  suffer,  we  shall 
also  reign  with  him."  How  glorious 
a  prospect !  how  divine  a  reward ! 

36.  In  this  verse,  the  apostle  draws 
the  foregoing  reasoning  to  a  con- 
clusion, establisliing  the  point  that 
Jesus,  whom  they  had  so  ignomini- 
ously  and  cruelly  treated,  was  indeed 
Lord  and  Christ,  or  Messiah ;  that 
God  had  exalted  him  on  high  at  his 
own  right  hand,  and  that  furtlier  op- 
position to  him  would  only  recoil 
upon  his  enemies  in  their  ruin.  — 
The  house  of  Israel.  The  family  or 
nation  of  Israel.  —  Know  assuredly. 


Strong  and  undeniable  affirmation. 
—  God  hath  made.  Calvin  remarks 
on  this  phrase,  "Peter  says  viade, 
because  God  the  Father  conferred 
tliis  honor  on  Jesus." — Whom  ye  have 
crucified.  This  renders  the  contrast 
the  more  vivid.  The  being  whom 
the  Jews  had  gone  so  far  as  even 
to  crucify,  was  the  very  one  whom 
God  had  exalted  to  be  Lord  and  Mes- 
siah. —  Both  Lord  and  Christ.  Not 
Supreme  Lord  of  all  things,  but  Lord 
in  that  subsidiary  sense  in  which  it  is 
used  in  ver.  34 :  "  The  Supreme  Lord, 
Jehovah,  said  to  my  Lord."  From 
ver.  2.2  to  31,  he  argued  that  Jesus 
is  the  Christ,  or  the  Messiah,  the 
Anointed,  and  in  ver.  34,  tliat  lie  is 
"  Lord,"  or  high  in  authority.  With- 
out the  set  formality  of  logic,  or  the 
strict  arrangement  of  a  discourse, 
the  speeches  of  the  apostles  are 
urgent  to  the  point ;  and,  while  they 
leave  out  no  important  consideration, 
they  are  compact  and  brief,  and  bear 
testimony  that  they  are  the  overflow- 
ings of  minds  filled  with  a  heavenly 
wisdom. 

37.  JVow  when  they  heard  this. 
That  they  had  crucified  their  Lord 
and  Messiah,  the  great  desire  and 
hope  of  their  nation.  —  They  were 
pricked  in  their  heart.  They  were 
cut  or  stung  to  the  heart;  or,  as 
the  German  of  Luther  has  it,  "  When 
they  heard  it,  it  went  through  tlieir 
heart."  The  apostle  had,  by  his 
very  serious  and  home-put  discourse, 
brought  them  to  a  sense  of  their 
guilt  and  danger.  They  saw  the 
wickedness  of  their  conduct  in  de- 
livering up  their  Messiah  to  be  cru- 
cified by  the  hands  of  the  Romans. 
They    felt    alanned.     They    were 


44 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


brethren,  what  shall  we  do?     Then  Peter  said  unto  them,  Re-  38 
pent,  and  be  baptized   every  one  of  you  in  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ,  for  the  remission  of  sins,  and  ye  shall  receive  the  gift  of 


smitten,  not  only  with  strong  com- 
punction of  conscience,  but  they 
trembled  at  those  judgments  which 
threatened  them  in  the  "  great  and 
notable  day  of  the  Lord."  The  ef- 
fects here  described  flowed  naturally 
from  the  speech  of  the  apostle,  which 
set  before  the  Jews  so  plainly  their 
personal  accountableness  and  un- 
faithfulness. They  had  heard  Jesus  ; 
they  had  witnessed  his  miracles ;  ver. 
22 ;  they  had  been  invited  to  become 
his  disciples  ;  but  they  had  turned  a 
deaf  ear,  hardened  their  hearts,  and 
employed  the  wicked  hands  of  "  the 
uncircumcised "  to  put  him  to  the 
death  of  a  slave  and  a  malefactor. 
Well  might  their  hearts  be  cut  to 
the  quick,  when  they  were  once  led 
to  feel,  that  the  being  they  had  thus 
treated,  Avas  no  less  than  the  Mes- 
siah himself,  the  great  deliverer,  the 
hope  of  two  thousand  years,  the 
Lord  of  glory.  —  What  shidl  we  do  ? 
Acts  ix.  6,  xvi.  30.  Their  ques- 
tion showed  symptoms  of  moral 
soundness  yet  remaining.  They  did 
not,  like  Judas,  indulge  in  that  "sor- 
row of  the  world  "  which  "  worketh 
death,"  but  turn  with  earnest  en- 
treaty to  their  spiritual  advisers  for 
guidance.  They  ask  a  most  signifi- 
cant question.  They  -wish  to  he  di- 
rected in  the  right  way,  and  show 
already  their  full  confidence  in  those 
who  a  little  before,  ver.  13,  were 
the  objects  of  the  most  scandalous 
charges.  It  is  the  sign  of  returninir 
moral  health,  when  the  corrupt  and 
impenitent  inquire,  What  shall  we 
do? 

38.  Repent.  The  word  of  the 
original  has  the  primitive  sense  "  to 
perceive  afterwards,"  "  to  have  an  af- 
terview  or  tliought ; "  and  hence  the 
secondary  meaning,  "  to  repent"  But 
the  Roman  Catholic  translation,  "  do 


penance,"  is  wholly  unauthorized ; 
for,  when  repentance  is  accompanied 
with  external  signs  of  sorrow  or  pen- 
ance, it  is  so  stated,  as  in  Mat  xi.  2L 
Besides,  the  "  penance  "  enjoined  by 
the  Catholics  is  artificial  and  unscrip- 
tural,  and  consistent  with  continued 
wickedness.  But  the  repentance  re- 
quired by  Christ  and  his  apostles 
Avas  first  the  proper  sorrow  for  the 
past,  and  then  reformation  of  moral 
conduct  for  the  future,  not  the  mere 
badges  of  penitent  emotion.  So  that 
the  translation  of  Coverdale  is  not 
so  much  out  of  the  way,  "  amende 
yourselves  ;"  tliough  this  rather  de- 
scribes the  fruit  of  repentance  than 
repentance,  as  an  incipient  state  of 
the  regenerated  mind.  Said  Mat- 
thew Henry,  "  Repent ;  that  is  a 
plank  after  shipwreck."  Said  Lutlier, 
"  Where  there  is  pardon  of  sins, 
there  is  life  and  holiness."  —  Be 
baptized  every  one  of  you..  He  en- 
joins, as  the  next  step  after  their  re- 
pentance, universal  baptism  into  the 
Christian  faith.  Acts  xx.  21.  If  bap- 
tism AVELS  enjoined  by  Christ,  Mat. 
xxviii.  19,  Mark  xvi.  1(3,  and  univer- 
sally observed  by  the  apostles  and 
early  preachers  of  the  gospel,  Avhy  is 
it  not  noAv  a  valid  and  essential  ordi- 
nance and  means  of  grace  ?  The 
public  profession  of  Christianity  is 
as  necessary  noAv^  as  it  ever  AA-as.  — 
In  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ.  This 
shows  that  the  particular  formula, 
given  in  Mat  xxviii.  19,  had  no  spe- 
cial eflicacy,  apart  from  the  ideas 
Avhich  it  was  intended  and  used  to 
convey ;  and  tliose  ideas  A\'ere  essen- 
tially summed  up  in  the  form,  "  in 
the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,"  for  tlie 
profession  of  his  name  implies  belief 
in  tlie  Father  and  in  the  influence 
of  his  Holy  Spirit  He  exhorts  tlie 
JeAvs  to   abandon   tlieu:  old   preju- 


II. 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


45 


39  the  Holy  Ghost.     For  the  promise  is  unto  you,  and  to  your  chil- 
dren, and  to  all  that  are  afar  off,  even  as  many  as  the  Lord  our 

40  God  shall  call.     And  with  many  other  words  did  he  testify  and 
exhort,  saying,  Save  yourselves  from  this  untoward  generation. 


dices,  to  confess  Jesus  to  be  their 
Messiah  by  the  act  of  baptism,  and 
thus  to  become  receivers  of  pardon 
and  the  Holy  Spirit. —  For  the  remis- 
sion of  sins.  Or,  as  Clarke  reads,  "  in 
reference  to  the  remission  oi'  remo- 
val of  sins."  As  observed  by  Ols- 
hausen,  this  was  the  negative  side, 
the  entire  clearing  away  of  tlie  Old. 
Baptism  was  to  be  the  sign ;  and  the 
things  signified  were  tlie  cleansing 
from  sin,  and  new  spiritual  endow- 
ments. —  The  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
or  Holy  Spirit  This,  according  to 
the  foregoing  author,  is  the  positive 
side,  the  communication  of  the  Spirit, 
the  necessary  antecedent  to  the  es- 
tablishment of  the  New.  Many 
Trinitarian  writers  interpret  the 
"  Holy  Spirit "  impersonally.  Barnes 
remarks  that  "  The  gift  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  here  does  not  mean  his  ex- 
traordinaiy  gifts,  or  the  power  of 
working  miracles."  So  many  others. 
But  that  what  is  signified  is,  ac- 
cording to  Kuinoel,  the  effects  of 
divine  power,  a  full  and  accurate 
knowledge  of  divine  tilings,  a  spirit- 
ed and  perpetual  pursuit  of  holiness, 
a  burning  zeal  to  profess  and  propa- 
gate the  doctrine  of  Christ.  John 
iii.  5  ;  Gal.  iii.  3, 14,  v.  22, 23.  There 
is  no  evidence,  that  all  of  that  vast 
multitude  were  promised  by  Peter, 
or  did  receive,  the  gift  of  working 
miracles,  speaking  with  tongues,  and 
exercising  other  supernatural  pow- 
ers ;  on  the  contrary,  the  natural  in- 
ference is  the  other  way,  as  the  voice 
of  commentators  has  generally  de- 
cided. 

39.  The  promise,  i.  e.  of  the  aid 
and  influence  of  the  Spirit,  Avhich 
would  be  given  to  all  that  sought  it 
in  the  appointed  way.  -r  To  you.  Al- 


though they  were  involved  in  the 
blood  of  the  innocent  and  the  An- 
ointed One,  the  door  of  mercy  was 
still  standing  open,  and  the  hand  of 
pardon  and  promise  was  stretched 
out.  —  To  your  children.  The  bless- 
ing Avould  not  cease  with  that  gen- 
eration; it  would  be  transmitted  to 
their  posterity,  without  limit.  —  To 
all  that  are  afar  off.  John  x.  16; 
Eph.  ii.  17,  iii.  6.  Wakefield  ren- 
ders it,  "  all  your  furthermost  poster- 
ity;"  but  that  idea  has  already  been 
essentially  conveyed  in  the  preced- 
ing clause,  and  is  unnecessary  here. 
Some  understand  it  of  the  distant 
Jews  living  in  Gentile  countries; 
but  it  is  more  applicable  to  the  Gen- 
tiles themselves ;  for  though  Peter 
was  not  yet  illuminated  entirely  on 
this  point,  as  the  history  shoAvs  in 
Acts  X.  28, 34,  still  the  common  opin- 
ion of  the  Jews,  in  Avhich  the  apostle 
no  doubt  shared,  attributed  to  the 
Gentiles  great  benefits  from  the  com- 
ing of  the  Messiah.  They  would,  it 
was  supposed,  become  members  of 
his  kingdom  by  being  proselytes  to 
the  Jewish  faith.  —  The  Lord  our 
God  shall  call,  i.  e.  as  many  as,  in  the 
providence  of  God,  should  be  fa- 
vored with  the  preaching  of  the  gos- 
pel.    The  promise  was  free  to  all. 

40.  Many  other  ivords.  The  his- 
torian professes  to  give  only  tlie  most 
important  outlines  of  the  address,  and 
frankly  tells  us  that  he  has  not  re- 
corded the  whole.  Many  classic  au- 
thors framed  speeches  of  their  OAvn, 
and  put  them  in  the  mouths  of  their 
principal  characters,  as  if  they  were 
actually  their  words.  But  the  ad- 
dresses of  the  apostles  and  disciples 
in  the  Acts  are  the  true,  though  ab- 
breviated, report  of  what  was  reaJly 


46 


THE  ACTS 


[CilAP. 


Then  they  that  gladly  received  his  word,  were  baptized :    and  41 
the  same  day  there  were  added  unto  them  about  tliree  thousand 


said,  and  bear  countless  internal 
marks  of  their  genuineness,  which 
no  invention  of  man  could  have  de- 
vised. —  Testify.  Stronger,  "  earn- 
estly testify,"  or  "  solemnly  admon- 
ish." —  Save  yourselves.  However 
much  God  performs  of  the  work, 
there  is  always  much  left  to  the  fidel- 
ity and  industry  of  man  ;  and  every 
precept  in  tlie  Bible  is  a  virtual  an- 
nouncement of  man's  free  agency 
and  moral  responsibleness.  —  Unto- 
ward. The  Greek  primarily  means 
«  crooked,"  and  secondarily  "  per- 
ve^-se,"  "  depraved."  Deut.  xxxii.  5. 
Terrible  calamities  were  hanging 
over  the  Jewish  people  on  account 
of  their  wickedness;  tliat  genera- 
tion would  not  pass  away  before  ruin 
would  fall  upon  city,  temple,  and  na- 
tion. As  a  security  against  impend- 
ing temporal  judgments,  Luke  xxi. 
18,  much  more  on  account  of  the 
claims  of  truth  —  a  higher  motive  — 
and  on  account  of  the  retributions  of 
futurity,  ought  they  to  embrace  the 
Christian  faith.  They  ought  to  come 
out  and  separate  themselves  from 
a  generation  upon  which  could  be 
charged  hypocrisy  and  corruption, 
and  the  gigantic  sin  of  disowning 
the  Son  of  God  and  putting  him  to 
death. 

41.  Gladly.  This  word  is  retained 
in  the  text  by  Griesbach,  but  it  is 
marked  by  him  as  probably  spurious, 
because  it  is  wanting  in  several  of 
the  best  ancient  authorities,  —  Were 
baptized.  This  was  the  rite  of  initi- 
ation into  the  Christian  church,  and 
we  see  it  immediately  complied  with, 
as  our  Lord  had  commanded.  Mat 
xxviii.  19.  As  to  the  mode,  the  facts 
that  the  number  of  persons  was  so 
large  to  be  baptized  in  one  day,  and 
the  day  already  far  advanced,  ver. 
15,  that  the  number  to  perform  the 
ceremony  was  so  small,  tliat  tJiere 


were  but  few  collections  of  water  of 
any  amount  in  the  city  or  neighbor- 
hood of  Jerusalem,  and  tliat  the  pools 
and  other  places  were  under  the  con- 
trol of  hostile  Jews,  tend  to  the  be- 
lief that  the  ceremony  was  perform- 
ed by  sprinkling  or  aflfusion,  rather 
than  by  total  immersion  of  the  body. 
But,  eV^n  were  it  proved  to  a  demon- 
stration —  which  it  never  can  be  — 
that  the  whole  three  thousand  were 
immersed,  it  no  more  follows  neces- 
sarily that  sprinkling  or  affusion  is 
not  genuine  or  sufficient  baptism, 
than  that  the  Lord's  supper  is  inef- 
ficacious because  it  is  administered 
in  the  daytime  instead  of  the  even- 
ing ;  or  because  it  is  in  a  lower,  in- 
stead of  an  upper,  room ;  or  because 
the  disciples  receive  the  elements 
sitting  in  their  pews,  and  not  reclin- 
ing around  a  common  table.  It  is 
not  the  manner  in  which  a  ceremony 
is  performed  that  is  essential  —  al- 
ways providing  it  is  a  decent  man- 
ner —  to  constitute  its  validity,  but 
the  spirit  and  motives  of  the  actors. 
The  sign  never  for  a  moment  should 
be  permitted  to  compete,  in  value  or 
importance,  with  the  thing  signijkd. 
Baptism  is  efficacious  as  a  sign,  a 
means,  and  its  virtue  depends  upon 
the  disposition  of  him  who  performs 
and  him  who  receives  it ;  not  upon 
the  particular  mode  of  its  perform- 
ance ;  though  one  mode,  as  that  of 
sprinkling,  may  be  more  convenient, 
safe,  and  becoming,  than  another,  and 
therefore  to  be  chosen.  —  Three  thou- 
sand souls.  Or,  persons.  The  custom 
of  drawing  inferences  from  the  day 
of  Pentecost  to  modern  revivals,  is 
wholly  out  of  place.  The  cases  are 
widely  dissimilar.  To  speak  of  "  a 
Pentecostal  effusion  of  the  Spirit,"  is 
a  mere  figure  of  speech.  The  day 
of  miracles  is  no  more.  We  are  to 
look  now  for  tlic  ordinary,  but  not 


IL] 

42  souls. 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


47 


And  they  continued  steadfastly  in  the  apostles'  doc- 


trine and  fellowship,  and  in  breaking  of  bread,  and  in  prayers. 
43  And  fear  came  upon  every  soul :  and  many  wonders  and  signs 
4t  were  done  by  the  apostles.  And  all  that  believed  were  together, 
45  and  had   all   things   common ;    and  sold  their   possessions  and 


the  extraordinary,  gifts  of  the  Spirit 
upon  the  speaker.  The  preacher  is 
not  now  a  Peter,  with  an  apostolic 
tongue  of  fire  and  authority,  but  a 
man  with  only  his  natural  resources, 
so  far  as  inspiration  is  concerned. 
An  audience  is  not  prepared  now,  as 
was  the  audience  then,  by  a  long 
course  of  events,  to  receive  a  strong 
and  decided  impression  in  relation  to 
the  simple  matter  of  fact  of  Jesus  be- 
ing the  Messiah.  The  solemn  scenes 
of  the  Pentecost,  tlierefore,  furnish  no 
justification  or  encouragement  to  tlie 
disorders  and  unhealthy  excitements 
of  modern  revivals ;  and  in  the  beau- 
tiful picture  which  is  here  preseriled 
of  the  church,  after  this  occasion, 
contrasted  Avith  the  schisms  and 
backslidings  of  churches  at  the  pres- 
ent day,  after  what  is  called  a  revi- 
val, Ave  behold  the  difference  be- 
tween the  work  of  God  and  the  vio- 
lent and  unnatural  work  of  men,  and 
of  unwise  men. 

42,  43.  Continued  steadfastly  in 
the  apostles'  doctrine.  Which  means 
that  they  devoted  themselves  con- 
stantly to  the  instructions  of  the 
apostles.  The  idea  is,  not  their  per- 
tinacity in  adhering  to  the  doctrines 
of  the  apostles,  but  their  constancy 
in  attending  upon  tlieir  teachings.  — 
Fellowship.  Society,  or  social  sym- 
pathy. Phil.  ii.  1.  —  Breaking  of 
bread.  Whether  this  refers  to  the 
Lord's  supper,  to  wliat  were  called 
their  agapre,  or  love-feasts,  or  to  their 
common  social  entertainments,  is  an 
unsettled  question  among  critics,  and 
cannot,  perhaps,  now  be  determined 
with  certainty.  —  To  hreaJc  bread,  is 
a  JcAvish  phrase,  meaning  to  make  a 
meal,  according  to  Pearce ;  and  these 


were  probably  occasions  of  social 
entertainment,  connected  with  reli- 
gious services,  as  the  commemora- 
tion of  the  love  of  Christ  and  prayer. 
The  breaking  of  bread  is  frequently, 
though  not  always,  associated  with 
the  Lord's  supper  in  tlie  New  Testa- 
ment, and  therefore  naturally  a^vak- 
ens  the  idea  that  something  of  tlie 
kind  is  m.eant  here.  It  has  been 
supposed  that  the  Lord's  supper  was 
observed  once  a  week  by  the  early 
Christians.  See  Mat.  xxvi.  26 ;  Luke 
xxiv.  30 ;  Acts  ii.  46,  xx.  7 ;  1  Cor. 
xi.  24.  —  A)id  fear  came  upon  every 
soul.  A  reverential  awe  generally 
settled  upon  tlie  minds  of  the  peo- 
ple. The  cause  is  mentioned  in  the 
next  line.  The  miracles  Avrought  by 
the  apostles  produced  this  effect.  A 
sketch  of  several  of  the  wonders  and 
signs  performed  by  them,  is  given  in 
the  succeeding  chapters.  The  pic- 
ture here  presented  of  the  early 
church  is  beautiful  and  life-like. 
The  features  delineated  are  such  as 
we  should  naturally  expect  from 
what  goes  before  —  love,  sympathy, 
fortitude,  high  trust  in  God,  and  af- 
fectionate remembrance  of  Christ  — 
while  a  universal  awe  broods  over 
the  people  at  witnessing  the  Avon- 
derful  works  of  the  apostles,  who 
profess  to  perform  tliem  in  the  name 
of  a  crucified,  but  conquering,  Mes- 
siah, soon  to  come  and  inflict  fearful 
retribution  upon  his  enemies. 

44,  45.  Believed,  i.  e.  were  disci- 
ples; for  none  could  become  such 
without  the  principle  of  faith.  —  Were 
together.  This,  probably,  refers,  not 
to  meeting  in  the  same  place,  but  to 
tlie  union  which  prevailed  in  the 
Christian  body.    They  harmonized. 


48 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


goods,  and  parted  them  to  all  men,  as  every  man  had  need.     And  46 
they,  continuing  daily  with  one  accord  in  the  temple,  and  break- 
ing bread  from  house  to  house,  did  eat  their  meat  with  gladness 


As  yet  there  was  no  schism.  —  Had 
all  things  common.  This  is  a  gen- 
eral, not  a  universal,  term,  as  will 
appear  in  the  following  remarks. 
They  were  so  knit  together  by  the 
ties  of  faitli  and  sympathy,  that  tlie 
distinctions  of  property  were  in  a 
manner  forgotten.  They  lived  a 
higher  life,  and  breathed  a  less  earth- 
ly and  selfish  spirit.  —  Sold  their  pos- 
sessions, i.  e.  their  real  estate,  or 
houses  and  lands,  for  so  the  original 
implies.  The  natural  love  of  prop- 
erty was  diminished  by  the  prospect 
of  great  changes  and  the  coming  of 
the  great  day  of  the  Lord,  as  well  as 
by  the  more  enlarged  and  benevo- 
lent sentiments  of  CMstianity.  They 
sold  their  property  to  share  it  with 
their  poorer  brethren,  who  were  lia- 
ble, after  their  profession  of  the  gos- 
pel, to  lose  the  assistance  of  tlieir 
former  friends  and  patrons.  —  Goods, 
By  which  is  meant  their  movable  or 
personal  property.  —  Parted  them  to 
all  men,  as  every  man  had  need.  Acts 
vi.  1.  Many  writers  have  found  in 
this  passage  the  history  of  a  com- 
munity of  goods  among  the  early 
Christians ;  but  the  more  general  and 
reasonable  opinion  now  is,  that  no 
such  state  of  things,  rigidly  speak- 
ing, is  here  described.  Because,  (1.) 
The  terms  of  the  narrative  do  not  au- 
tliorize  so  universal  an  inference,  but 
are  rather  intended  to  represent  the 
liberality  and  benevolence  of  the 
disciples  ;  (2.)  The  histoiy  afterwards 
speaks  of  the  community  of  property 
as  voluntary,  not  necessary  —  as  a 
gift,  not  a  duty ;  Acts  iv.  32,  v.  4 ; 
g.)  Mary,  the  mother  of  Mark  the 
Evangelist,  is  represented,  in  Acts 
xii.  12,  as  the  owner  of  a  liouse  in 
Jerusalem  ;  (4.)  The  distinction  ob- 
served in  speaking  of  the  rich  and 
the  poor,  Gal.  ii.  10  ;  James  ii.  2,  5,  0, 


V.  1 ;  the  contributions  and  alms  for 
the  needy,  and  even  for  the  poor  at 
Jerusalem,  where  this  community  of 
goods  existed,  Acts  ix.  36,  xi.  29 ; 

1  Cor.  xvi.  1 ;  2  Cor.  ix.  1-5,  and 
the  apostolic  precepts  to  hospitali- 
ty and  benevolence,  Rom.  xii.  13; 

2  Thes.  iii.  12 ;  James  ii.  15, 16,  show 
conclusively  that  all  property  was 
not  literally  merged  in  a  common 
stock,  but  that  the  arrangement  spok- 
en of  in  the  text  was  a  device  of 
benevolence  for  the  necessities  of 
the  time  being,  not  a  perpetual  or 
general  institution.  There  was  noth- 
ing like  the  intercommunity  of  goods 
among  the  Essenes  and  Therapeuta;, 
of  ancient,  and  the  monks.  Shakers, 
and  other  associated  bodies,  of  mod- 
ern" times.  As  has  been  said,  the 
object  was  not  "to  destroy  property, 
but  selfishness,"  and  to  promote  the 
comfort  of  the  poor  in  their  cliange 
of  faith.  The  apostles  showed  their 
more  than  human  wisdom,  in  not  in- 
corporating with  the  new  religion 
any  thing  inconsistent  with  its  uni- 
versality and  adaptation  to  all  ages, 
races,  and  governments. 

46.  We  have,  in  this  and  the  fol- 
lowing verse,  a  continued  picture  of 
the  beauty  and  spiritual  vitality  of 
the  early  church.  What  author  of 
fact  or  fiction  has  presented  a  more 
interesting  history  of  a  happy  com- 
munity than  the  Christian  evangel- 
ist —  a  community  to  Avhich  every 
man,  in  his  right  senses,  would  more 
desire  to  join  himself — or  in  which 
all  the  elements  of  love,  and  peace, 
and  progress,  are  more  thoroughly 
combined  ?  Cannot  society,  nations, 
mankind,  be  brought,  finally,  to  fulfil 
the  exquisite  promise  of  this  long- 
departed  age,  and  restore,  as  it  were, 
tlie  old  painting  to  tlie  reality  of  new 
life  ?    The  highest  form  of  Christian 


II.l 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


4e  and  singleness  of  heart,  praising  God,  and  having  favor  with  all 
the  people.  And  the  Lord  added  to  the  church  daily  such  as 
should  be  saved. 


civilization  is  yet  to  appear,  but  tlie 
dawn  has  broken  from  the  east.  — 
Continuing  daily  with  one  accord  in 
the  temple.  They  probably  attended 
the  worship  in  the  temple  at  the 
usual  hours  of  prayer,  of  nine  in  the 
morning  and  three  in  the  afternoon. 
Acts  iii.  1.  They  had  not  yet 
shaken  themselves  free  of  the  Jew- 
ish yoke,  and  tliey  rightly  retained 
some  fealty  to  the  old  faith  in  their 
adoption  of,  and  assimilation  with, 
the  new  one ;  as  naturalists  tell  us 
that  the  old  leaf  does  not  fall  to  the 
ground,  until  the  new  bud  begins 
to  swell  underneath  it.  —  Breaking 
bread  from,  house  to  house.  Or,  "  at 
iiome,"  in  contradistinction  to  their 
exercises  in  the  temple.  The  same 
occasions  are  referred  to  here  as  in 
ver.  42.  The  character  of  the  re- 
past was  that  of  a  social  entertain- 
ment, united  with  a  religious  com- 
memoration. Acts  XX.  7.  It  is  said 
that  the  agapcB,  or  love-feasts,  arose 
from  the  necessity  of  providing  for 
the  poor,  who  had  formerly  lived  on 
the  sacrifices ;  but  Avho,  after  their 
conversion,  were  cut  off  by  their 
f  lith  from  this  source  of  support.  — 
7Vmr  meat.  Old  English  for  "  food," 
whether  animal  or  ves^etable.  — ■  JViih 
gladness.  Some  discern,  in  this 
phrase,  the  joy  of  the  poor  for  the 
bounty  so  generously  afforded. — Sin- 
glentss  of  heart.  And  in  these  words 
is  seen  the  simplicity  and  freedom 
from  pride  and  ostentation  of  the 
rich  in  their  benevolence.  But  the 
expressions  are  general,  rather  than 
limited  to  classes,  and  describe  at 
once  the  purity  of  motive,  and  the 
elastic  spirit  of  joy,  pervading  the 
new  association.  We  have  here  a 
description  of  the  influence  which 
true  religion,  truly  received  and 
obeyed,  has  upon  its  subjects. 

VOL.    III.  5 


47.  Praising  God.  They  recog- 
nized the  great  source  of  all  bless- 
ings, temporal  and  spiritual,  in  God. 
Christian  piety  does  not  suffer  us  to 
dwell  chiefly  upon  secondary  causes, 
but  prompts  us  to  rise  to  the  First 
Great  Cause.  —  Having  favor  ivith 
all  the  people.  2  Tim.  iii.  12.  It  is 
not  said  that  they  had  favor  Avith  the 
priests,  Pharisees,  and  Sadducees  ; 
on  the  contrary,  they  soon  suffered 
persecution  from  that  quarter.  See 
Acts  iv.  ],  and  elsewhere.  But  their 
virtues  were  such  as  to  conciliate 
the  favor  of  all  unprejudiced  wit- 
nesses. The  common  people  heard 
our  Lord  himself  gladly,  though,  in 
their  fickleness,  they  could  after- 
wards shout  his  crucifixion.  Be- 
cause a  man  is  persecuted,  it  does 
not  necessarily  follow  that  he  is  a 
good  man ;  and  because  a  man  is 
not  persecuted,  it  is  to  be  inferred  no 
more  certainly  that  he  is  a  bad  man. 
— •  Such  aS- should  be  saved.  Ver.  40. 
Thomson  renders  it,  "them  who  were 
cured,"  referring  to  those  restored  by 
the  miraculous  power  of  the  apostles. 
Symonds  renders  it,  "  Christian  con- 
verts," or  "  converts  to  Chi-istianity ; " 
Bloomfield,  "  the  saved ; "  which  is  to 
be  prefen-ed,  as  the  original  is  a  par- 
ticiple, and  simply  describes  those 
who  were  put  in  the  way  of  salva- 
tion, without  pronouncing  any  de- 
cision, as  our  version  does,  respect- 
ing the  final  issue  of  tlieir  course  in 
another  world.  This  participle  oc- 
cm-s  in  four  other  places  in  the  New 
Testament,  and  is  rendered  rightly 
"  be  "  or  "  are  saved."  See  the  ref- 
erence below.  The  simple  sense  is, 
that  the  Lord  added  to  tlie  church 
daily  those  who  had  laid  aside  their 
old  Jewish  faith,  and  become  the 
professed  disciples  of  Christ  by  faith 
and  baptism,  and  thus  were  saved 


50 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


CHAPTER   III. 

TJie  Cure  of  the  Lame  Man,  and  the  Address  of  Peter. 

IV  OW  Peter  and  John  went  up  together  into  the  temple,  at  the 


already,  were  put  in  a  saving  way, 
and  would,  if  they  persevered  faith- 
fully, be  finally  saved.  Luke  xiii. 
23,  xix.  9 ;  Rom.  xi.  11  ;  ]  Cor.  i.  18, 
XV.  2;  2  Cor.  ii.  15;  Titus  iii.  5; 
Rev.  xxi.  24.  The  term  "  church,"  in 
this  connexion,  means  the  assembly, 
the  body  of  professed  believers,  who 
had  been  baptized,  as  stated  in  ver.  41. 
There  are  two  aspects,  in  which  it 
is  desirable  to  study  this  history  of 
the  early  church ;  one,  that  of  their 
BELIEF,  which,  as  we  learn  from  tbe 
speeches  of  the  apostles  and  the 
Avhole  tenor  of  the  narrative,  was 
simple  and  fundamental,  and  em- 
braced but  few  of  those  points  now 
raised  to  the  highest  pitch  of  impor- 
tance by  more  than  half  of  Christen- 
dom ;  the  other,  is  that  of  their  con- 
duct, which  was  eminently  pure, 
benevolent,  devout,  and  heavenly- 
minded,  Avorthy  of  the  apostolic  age, 
and  worthy  to  shed  its  beautiful  light 
over  the  whole  world.  Let  us  imi- 
tate the  simplicity  of  their  faith,  and 
aspire  after  the  purity  of  their  life. 

CHAPTER  HI. 

The  historian  stated,  in  ver.  43  of 
the  last  chapter,  tliat  "  many  signs 
and  wonders"  were  done  by  the 
apostles,  and  he  now  proceeds  to 
specify  an  instance  which  was  re- 
markable in  itself,  and  which  led  to 
an  important  discourse  by  Peter. 

1.  Jfent  up  together.  Were  going 
up  together.  The  apostles  and  dis- 
ciples of  Jesus  rarely  went  fortli 
single-handed,  but  two  by  two  tliey 
labored  and  preached,  and  thus  en- 
joyed the  immense  support  and  aid 
of  fraternal  sympathy  in  their  dan- 
gers and  sufferings.  —  Into  the  temple. 
Luke  xxiv.  53 ;  Acts  ii.  46.  This 
was  still  the  house  of  God  to  them. 


They  were  in  a  state  of  transition 
from  the  old  to  tlie  new  religion,  and 
it  was  a  sign  of  a  healthy  spiritual 
sensibility,  to  change  gradually  from 
the  one  to  the  other.  They  could 
still  worship  in  the  temple  with  a 
clear  conscience,  as  their  Master 
had  done  before  them ;  for  outward 
institutions  had  not  yet  been  estab- 
lished and  perfected  to  express  and 
cultivate  Christian  veneration.  —  The 
hour  of  prayer,  being  the  ninth  hour. 
The  hours  of  prayer  and  the  hours 
of  sacrifice  are  said,  by  Lightfoot,  to 
have  been  the  same  in  the  Hebrew 
code.  We  learn,  from  the  example 
of  David,  Daniel,  and  Peter,  as  well 
as  from  the  authority  of  the  Talmuds, 
that  tlie  Jews  had  three  hours  of 
prayer  daily, —  the  third  hour,  at  nine 
o'clock,  A.  M. ;  the  sixth  hour,  at 
noon;  the  ninth  hour — our  present 
case  —  at  three  o'clock,  P.  M.  Ps. 
Iv.  17;  Dan.  vi.  10,  13 ;  Acts  ii.  15, 
X.  9.  The  Jewish  computation  of 
time  is  worthy  of  note.  The  day 
was  divided  into  twelve  hours,  what- 
ever was  the  season  of  the  year. 
John  xi.  9.  An  hour,  therefore,  was 
not  uniformly  of  the  same  length, 
and  the  third  or  the  ninth  hour  would 
not  fill  on  the  same  point,  according 
to  our  reckoning,  at  all  periods  of 
the  year.  This  method  was  intro- 
duced from  Babylon  after  the  cap- 
tivity :  it  still  prevails  in  tlie  East. 
To  reduce  Jewish  time  to  ours,  it  is 
therefore  necessary  to  obsei-ve  when 
the  sun  rises,  and  from  that  starting- 
point  ascertain  what  would  be  the 
succeeding  hours  agreeably  to  our 
reckoning.  The  correspondence  of 
the  Jewish  third,  sixth,  and  nintli 
hour  with  our  nine,  twelve,  and  three 
o'clock,  is  therefore  strictly  exact 
only  at  tlie  time  of  the  equinox. 


m.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


51 


2  hour  of  prayer,  being-  the  ninth  Jiovr.  And  a  certain  man  lame 
from  his  mother's  womb  was  carried,  whom  they  laid  daily  at  the 
gate  of  the  temple  which  is  called  Beautiful,  to  ask  alms  of  them 


2.  The  cure  of  the  lame  man 
probably  took  place  not  long  after 
the  events  related  in  the  foregoing 
chapter,  and,  as  many  believe,  during 
the  feast  of  Pentecost,  when  large 
multitudes  were  still  together,  Acts 
iv.  4,  from  all  parts  of  the  world.  — 
Lame,  ^c.  Acts  iv.  22,  xiv.  8.  The 
particularity  with  which  the  writer 
relates  events,  and  multiplies  places, 
dates,  and  circumstances,  adds  not 
only  interest,  but  credibility,  to  the 
narrative,  for  it  bespeaks  the  honest 
historian  and  the  observing  Avitness. 
The  fact  that  this  man  had  been  a 
cripple  from  his  birth,  during  forty 
years,  and  tliat  he  was  accustomed 
to  be  placed  daily  at  the  gate  of  the 
temple  to  ask  alms,  rendered  his 
case  more  difficult  of  cure,  and  his 
cure  more  conspicuous.  —  fVas  car- 
ried. Was  in  the  act  of  being 
carried.  He  was  unable  to  help 
himself.  His  condition  was  truly 
pitiable.  Imagine  his  poor,  desolate, 
and  hopeless  lot ;  and  the  joyful  re- 
bound of  his  feelings  in  ver.  8,  9, 
will  seem  true  to  nature.  The  state 
of  the  sick,  lame,  blind,  insane,  deaf 
and  dumb,  in  lands  unenlightened  by 
the  gospel,  is  heart-rending  to  con- 
template. The  good  fruits  of  Christ's 
doctrine  of  love  to  God  and  love  to 
man  are  seen  in  the  asylums  and 
hospitals  of  relief  and  charity,  spring- 
ing up  in  Christendom  more  and 
more  from  age  to  age.  It  has  been 
said  that  heathenism  could  adduce 
but  one  hospital,  and  that  that  was 
established  to  keep  and  relieve  sick 
and  aged  animals,  as  horses  and 
cows  !  while  man  was  left  uncared 
for.  What  a  striking  contrast  be- 
tween the  practical  effects,  of  the 
two  systems,  even  upon  man's  pres- 
ent welfare !  —  Whom  they  laid  daily. 
It  was  his  daily  resort,  and  conse- 


quently he  was  well  known.  It 
was  customary  in  the  East,  both 
in  Jewish  and  heatlien  countries, 
to  place  the  poor  and  diseased 
at  the  entrances  of  the  sacred 
places  to  solicit  charity,  as  well 
as  by  the  wayside,  and  at  the  doors 
of  the  rich.  Mark  x.  46  ;  Luke  xvi. 
20.  Those  who  went  to  pay  their 
devotions,  were  also  called  to  prove 
their  benevolence.  The  same  cus- 
tom has  prevailed  in  Christian  tem- 
ples. The  modern  efforts  for  the 
prevention  of  pauperism,  the  sup- 
pression of  street  beggary,  and  the 
establishment  of  ministers  at  large, 
so  that  the  poor'  may  be  spiritually, 
as  well  as  physically,  blest,  and 
helped  so  as  to  awaken  tlie  desire 
and  the  power  to  help  themselves, 
are  rich  and  heavenly  manifestations 
of  a  higher  state  of  civilization,  of  a 
deeper  sympathy  with  him  who  went 
about  doing  good,  and  of  the  practi- 
cability of  applying  his  religion  to 
cure  the  worst  evils  of  humanity.  — 
The  gate  of  the  temple,  which  is  called 
Beautiful.  There  is  some  debate 
respecting  the  location  of  this  gate ; 
but  it  was  probably  the  one  called 
the  Tenth,  situated  on  the  east,  en- 
tering into  the  court  of  the  women, 
made  by  Herod  the  Great,  of  Corin- 
thian brass,  of  the  most  skilful  Avork- 
manship,  and  ornamented  in  the  most 
beautiful  manner.  The  whole  was 
87^  feet  in  height,  and  the  doors  70 
feet  The  tenn  Susan,  or  Shushan, 
(lily,)  was  also  given  to  it  by  tiie 
Rabbins,  perhaps  from  the  peculiar 
style  of  the  decorations.  1  Kings 
vii.  19.  Josephus  writes  that,  "Of 
the  gates,  nine  of  them  were  every 
where  overlaid  with  gold  and  silver ; 
likewise  tlie  posts  and  the  lintels. 
But  one,  witliout  the  temple,  made 
of  Corintliian  brass,  did  much  ex- 


52 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


that  entered  into  the  temple ;  who,  seeing  Peter  and  John  about  3 
to  go  into  the  temple,  asked  an  alms.  And  Peter  fastening  his  4 
eyes  upon  him  with  John,  said,  Look  on  us.  And  he  gave  heed  3 
unto  them,  expecting  to  receive  something  of  them.  Then  Peter  6 
said,  Silver  and  gold  have  I  none ;  but  such  as  I  have  give  I  thee  : 


ceed  in  glory  those  that  were  over- 
laid with  gold  and  silver."  At  this 
gate  began  "  the  inner  temple,"  as 
distinguished  by  Josephus  from  "  tlie 
outer  temple."  —  To  ask  alms,  8fc. 
As  this  was  the  most  frequented  gate 
of  tlie  temple,  and  in  the  vicinity  of 
Solomon's  porch,  ver.  11,  John  x. 
23,  he  was  placed  here  as  tlie  most 
eligible  position  for  begging  of  the 
passing  crowd. 

3-5.  Seeing  Peter  and  John.  He 
did  not  distinguish  them  from  other 
worshippers.  —  Fastening  his  eyes. 
-This  is  expressed  by  one  participle 
in  Greek,  derived  from  a  verb,  used 
by  Luke  no  less  than  twelve  times 
in  his  Gospel  and  tlie  Acts,  but  oc- 
curring nowhere  else  in  the  New 
Testament,  except  twice  in  Paul's 
Epistles.  The  style  of  different  sa- 
cred writers  is  identified  by  an  ob- 
servation of  such  slight  peculiarities. 
—  Look  on  lis.  They  wished  to  ar- 
rest his  notice,  and  prepare  his  mind 
for  what  was  to  follow ;  that  his  in- 
terest might  be  awakened,  and  that 
he  might  understand  the  cause  of 
his  cure,  and  refer  it  to  its  true 
source.  Attention  is  the  first  con- 
dition of  spiritual  good.  —  Expecting 
to  receive  something,  i.  e.  of  a  pecu- 
niary nature,  as  appears  from  the 
words  of  Peter  in  the  next  verse. 
The  graphic  description  of  this  scene, 
between  the  apostles  and  the  lame 
man,  annihilates  every  pretence  of  a 
fabricated  story. 

6.  Silver  ami  gold.  2  Cor.  vi.  10. 
A  circumlocution,  or  indirect  phrase, 
to  signify  money  or  riches.  It  is  re- 
lated by  Clarke,  that  Thomas  Aqui- 
nas, surnamed  "  the  Angelical  Doc- 


tor," who  was  highly  esteemed  by 
Pope  Innocent  IV.,  going  one  day 
into  the  pope's  chamber,  where  they 
were  reckoning  large  sums  of  mon- 
ey, the  pope,  addressing  himself  to 
Aquinas,  said,  "You  see  tliat  the 
church  is  no  longer  in  an  age  in 
which  she  can  say,  '  Silver  and  gold 
have  1  none.'  "  It  is  true,  holy  fa- 
tlier,"  replied  the  Angelical  Doctor ; 
"  nor  can  she  now  say  to  the  lame 
man, '  Rise  up  and  walk.' "  —  Snch  as 
1  have.  The  miraculous  gitt  intrust- 
ed to  my  care  and  exercise.  —  In 
the  name  of  Jesus  Christ.  The  apos- 
tles worked  their  miracles  in  tlie 
name  or  authority  of  their  Lord,  as 
tlieir  object  was  to  lead  men  to  be- 
lieve in  him,  as  the  Son  of  God,  and 
tlie  long-expected  Messiah.  Mark 
xvi.  17.  —  Of  JVazardh.  They  hes- 
itated not  to  avow  the  obscurity  of 
his  origin,  and  to  challenge  Avith 
boldness  the  faith  of  their  country- 
men in  one  who  bore  this  despised 
name.  —  Rise  up  and  ivalk.  I  say, 
Rise  up  and  walk.  The  command 
is  to  be  introduced  by  some  such 
phrase  understood.  We  cannot  but 
notic.^,  intliis  verse,  the  change  which 
has  come  over  the  apostles.  They 
had  been  ambitious  of  power,  and 
wealth,  and  distinction.  They  had 
contended  Avith  one  another,  who 
should  be  the  greatest.  They  had 
asked  for  seats  on  either  hand  of 
their  Master  in  his  kingdom.  But 
they  now  confess  their  poverty  with- 
out shame,  glory  in  the  name  of  their 
rejected  Master,  and  seek  no  higher 
renown  than  doing  good,  by  his  au- 
thority, to  a  poor,  lame  man. 


III.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


53 


7  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Nazareth,  rise  up  and  walk.    And 
he  took  him  by  the  right  hand,  and  lift  him  up :    and  immedi- 

8  ately  his  feet  and  ankle-bones  received  strength.    And  he,  leaping 
up,  stood,  and  walked,  and  entered  with  them  into  the  temple, 

9  walking,  and  leaping,  and  praising  God.     And  all  the  people  saw 

10  him  walking  and  praising  God :  and  they  knew  that  it  was  he 
which  sat  for  alms  at  the  Beautiful  gate  of  the  temple :  and  they 
were  filled  with  wonder  and  amazement  at  that  which  had  hap- 
pened unto  him. 

11  And  as  the  lame  man  which  was  healed  held  Peter  and  John, 
all  the  people  ran  together  unto  them  in  the  porch  that  is  called 


7-9.  Lift.  Should  be  "  lifted."— 
His  feet,  i.  e.  the  lower  parts  of  his 
feet ;  as  some  render  it,  "  the  soles." 
—  Received  strengih.  It  appears  that 
his  lameness  arose  from  a  weakness, 
not  from  being  maimed,  or  destitute 
of  a  limb.  — Leaping  up,  i.  e.  from 
his  bed  or  couch  on  Avhich  he  lay. 
Is.  XXXV.  6.  Bloomfield  remarks  that 
he  leaped,  not  so  much  from  joy,  nor 
to  try  whether  he  could  walk,  "but, 
it  should  seem,  at  first  from  ignorance 
how  to  walk,  by  which  his  essays 
would  be  rather  leaping  than  walk- 
ing ;  just  as  the  imperfect  glimmer  of 
the  newly-acquired  sight  of  the  blind 
man,  Mark  viii.  24,  made  him  first 
<  see  men  as  trees  Avalking.'  To 
leap  well  describes  the  headlong 
eagerness  of  the  incipient  action,  as 
to  stand,  and  to  walk,  the  other  stages 
of  it :  'he  first  leaped,  then  stood  still, 
and  (then)  walked,'  i.  e.  in  a  regular 
manner."  The  perfect  cure  of  so 
chronic  and  inveterate  a  case  in  an 
instantaneous  manner,  sufficiently 
marks  the  superhuman  character  of 
the  act.  —  Into  the  temple,  praising 
God.  He  referred  his  cure  to  the 
liigh  source  from  which  it  came,  and 
testified  his  grateful  sense  of  his  de- 
liverance by  acts  of  adoration  and 
praise.  How  appropriate  and  beau- 
tiful that  the  sick  and  lame,  who 
have  been  detained  from  the  courts 
of  the  Almightv,  should,  when  able, 
5* 


enter  them,  and  return  thanks  that 
they  have  received  strength  and 
health !  Yet  how  true  to  the  gener- 
al insensibility  of  human  nature  is 
the  narrative  given  in  Luke  xvii.  12 
-W\  —  All  the  people,  S^c.  They 
were  witnesses  of  the  fact.  They 
knew  what  the  lame  man  was  be- 
fore, they  saw  with  their  own  eyes 
what  he  was  now,  and  natural  emo- 
tions of  surprise  and  wonder  filled 
their  minds. 

10, 11.  They  kneiv  that  it  loas  he, 
^'c.  There  are  several  particulars 
Avhich  make  the  cure  of  the  cripple 
a  strong  proof  of  the  miraculous 
poAver  of  the  apostles,  and  exclude 
the  possibility  of  deception.  The 
man  had  been  lame  from  his  birth. 
He  had  been  known  for  forty  years 
as  an  invalid,  and  been  brought  dai- 
ly to  his  place  to  beg  at  one  of  the 
most  crowded  thoroughfares  of  the 
temple.  He  asked  not  to  be  cured, 
but  begged  money ;  and  there  could 
have  been  no  collusion  between  him 
and  his  benefactors.  He  was  sud- 
denly and  entirely  restored,  so  as 
immediately  to  stand,  leap,  and  walk, 
as  if  he  had  always  enjoyed  the  ex- 
ercise of  his  limbs.  The  cure  was 
done  in  a  public  place,  and  the  peo- 
ple were  witnesses  'of  it  They  were 
convinced  tliat  it  was  a  miracle. 
They  manifested  all  the  natural  signs 
of  astonishment,  and,  after  listening 


54 


THE  AC'l'S 


[Chap. 


Solomon's,  greatly  wondering.  And  when  Peter  saw  it^  he  an-  12 
swered  unto  the  people,  Ye  men  of  Israel,  why  marvel  ye  at  this? 
or  why  look  ye  so  earnestly  on  us,  as  though  by  our  own  power 
or  holiness  we  had  made  this  man  to  walk  ?  The  God  of  Abra-  13 
ham,  and  of  Isaac,  and  of  Jacob,  the  God  of  our  fathers  hath 
glorified  his  Son  Jesus ;  whom  ye  delivered  up,  and  denied  him 
in  the  presence  of  Pilate,  when  he  was  determined  to  let  him  go. 


to  the  address  of  Peter,  became  con- 
verts to  tlie  Christian  faith  in  great 
numbers.  Acts  iv.  4.  It  would  be 
credulity  of  the  grossest  kind  to  be- 
lieve, against  all  proof  or  probability, 
tliat  the  apostles,  in  this  case,  prac- 
tised any  deception  or  fraud.  It 
would  be  to  take  up  the  saying  of 
one  of  old,  "  It  is  impossible,  there- 
fore I  believe."  —  Held  Peter  and 
John.  Or,  clung  to  them.  He  could 
not  leave  the  side  of  those,  who  had 
done  him  such  an  unspeakable  ben- 
efit. He  not  only  praised  God,  but 
he  expressed  his  thankfulness  to  tlie 
servants  of  his  benevolence.  —  The 
jieople  ran  together.  There  v/as  the 
hurry  and  running  natural  to  an  ex- 
cited multitude.  They  rushed  to- 
gether in  a  crowd  where  the  men 
were,  who  had  done  the  wonderful 
work.  —  The  porch  that  is  called  Sol- 
omon^s.  The  portico.  This  was  not 
probably  built  by  Solomon,  but  stood 
where  his  portico- had  done,  and  up- 
on the  same  foundation.  It  was  on 
the  east  of  the  temple,  and  overhung 
a  very  deep  valley,  from  which  a  wall 
of  inmiense  stones  had  been  built  up 
to  support  it.  It  afforded  a  sheltered 
way  in  stormy  weather ;  and,  from 
hints  in  the  New  Testament,  v/e  in- 
fer that  it  was  a  much  frequented 
place.     John  x.  23  ;  Acts  v.  12. 

12.  Jlnswered  unto  the  people. 
More  correctly,  "  addressed  the  peo- 
ple." —  On  lis.  "  Us  "  is  emphatic. 
He  contrasts  themselves  with  "the 
God  of  Abraham,"  &c.  The  people 
need  not  wonder  at  what  is  done,  as 
if  it  was  accomplished  by  any  thing 


else  than  divine  power,  nor  look  on 
us,  as  if  we  are  any  more  tlian  hum- 
ble subordinates  of  the  Almighty. 
Ps.  cxv.  1 ;  2  Cor.  iv.  5,  7.  —  Jls 
though  by  our  own  power  or  holiness, 
i.  e.  by  any  inherent  pov.'er,  or  sanc- 
tity of  character.  Lightfoot  says 
that  "  Such  a  conceit  walked  among 
the  nation,  that  extraordinary  holi- 
ness might  attain  to  miraculous  work- 
ings." The  miracle  was  Avrought  by 
a  transmitted  energy  from  God,  of 
which  the  apostles  were  but  tlic 
channels  and  conductors.  TJiey 
disclaimed  all  tlie  honor  and  gloiy 
of  such  an  amazino^  deed ;  and  di- 
rected attention  to  its  Great  Cause, 
and  to  the  important  end  for  Avhich 
it  was  performed.  The  theory,  that 
miracles  are  capable  of  being  wrought 
in  proportion  as  there  are  faith,  and 
spirituality,  and  holiness,  in  tlie  agent, 
is  contrary  to  the  text ;  which  ex- 
pressly sets  aside  all  such  conditions 
of  personal  character  as  essential  to 
the  achievement,  and  refers  all  back 
to  the  higher  Source  from  which  the 
power  had  emanated,  and  which  em- 
ployed now  a  Avavering  Moses,  and 
now  an  impulsive  Peter,  as  its  hu- 
man instrument 

13.  The  God  of  Abraham,  «,-c.  It 
is  not  to  be  overlooked,  in  this  verse, 
that  the  apostles  do  not  merely  con- 
trast tliemselves  Avith  God,  but  with 
the  God  of  Abraham,  and  of  Isaac, 
and  of  Jacob,  tlie  God  of  their  fa- 
thers ;  thus  seizing  upon  that  relation 
or  character  in  which  the  Deity  stood 
to  them  peculiarly,  and  which  Avas 
most  essential  to  the  purpose  in  hand. 


lil.l 


OF   THE   Al'Ua'l'LEfcl. 


5& 


U  But  ye  denied  the  Holy  One,  and  the  Just,  and  desired  a  mur- 
15  derer  to  be  granted  unto  you;  and  killed  the  Prince  of  life,  whom 


He  addressed  their  feeling-  of  coun- 
try and  ancestry.  He  virtually  says, 
We  did  not  do  this  great  work,  but 
God ;  and  not  only  God,  but  the  very 
God  of  the  ])atriarchs,  the  Being  in 
whom  you  trust  and  glory.  The 
new  religion  did  not  alienate  them 
from  the  protecting  Deity  of  Israel : 
on  the  contrary,  it  was  that  God  him- 
self who  had  performed  the  miracle, 
through  human  instrumentalities,  to 
honor  his  Son.  —  Glorified  his  Son 
Jesus.  His  servant  Jesus,  according 
to  Robinson,  or  his  minister,  or  am- 
bassador. He  wrought  the  wonder- 
ful cure,  and  his  object  was  not  sim- 
ply to  relieve  trie  lame  man,  but  he 
had  an  ulterior  purpose,  —  to  glorify 
his  Son  Jesus,  to  substantiate  his 
claims  as  tlie  Messiah,  to  make  him 
honored  and  obeyed  by  mankind. 
The  miracles  were  deeds  of  kind- 
ness, but  tlieir  highest  aim  was  to 
glorify  Jesus,  and  extend  the  faith  in 
his  divine  origin  and  Messiahsliip. 
TJiey  were  mercies,  but  also  proofs, 
qnickeners,  enlighteners.  —  Whom  ye 
delivered  up,  Sfc.  He  compares  the 
glory  Aviiich  God  gave  his  Son,  with 
tlie  indignities  which  were  heaped  up- 
on him  by  the  Jews ;  who  renounced 
their  allegiance  to  their  Messiah, 
and,  not  content  with  that,  even  pro- 
cured his  death  by  wicked  Gentile 
ha]ids.  —  Pilate,  ichtn  he  was  deter- 
mined, Sfc.  He  completes  the  cli- 
max of  their  iniquity  by  showing 
that  they  were  worse  than  tlie  hea- 
then judge  himself,  for  he  adjudged 
hirn  innocent,  and  wislied  to  release 
him,  but  was  overborne  by  the  clam- 
or of  his  enemies.  They  had  been 
guilty  of  dishonoring  and  destroying 
him  whom  God,  the  God  of  their 
fathers,  glorified;  and,  still  more, 
they  had  outraged,  by  their  wicked- 
ness, even  the  moral  sense  of  a  Gen- 
tile ruler. 


14,  15.  The  Holy  One,  and  the 
Ju^t.  Titles  elsewhere  given  to  our 
Lord  in  Acts  iv.  27,  30 ;  1  John  ii.  1 ; 
Rev.  iii.  7.  His  enemies  themselves, 
as  well  as  his  friends,  joined  in  pro- 
nouncing him  innocent  and  right- 
eous. This  was  the  testimony  of 
Judas,  who  betrayed,  and  of  Pilate, 
who  condemned,  and  of  Herod,  who 
judged,  and  of  tlie  centurion,  who 
guarded  his  cross.  Mat  xxvii.  4; 
Luke  xxiii.  14,  15,  47.  —  Desired  a 
murderer.  Barabbas.  Luke  xxiii. 
1(3-19.  The  pitch  of  their  guilt 
v>^as  revealed  in  the  fact,  that  they 
not  only  caused  a  holy  and  just  per- 
son, the  Prince  of  life,  to  be  put  to 
death,  but  had  even  preferred  a  mur- 
derer to  him.  Every  circumstance 
is  introduced  and  arrayed,  so  as  to 
give  their  wickedness  its  true  and  viv- 
id colors.  —  Killed  the  Prince  of  life. 
Contrasted  with  "  murderer  "  above. 
The  one  took  life,  the  other  gave 
it ;  the  one  destroyed  existence,  the 
otiier  conferred  the  highest  state  of 
being,  —  moral,  spiritual  life.  The 
word  here  rendered  "  Prince  "  is  lit- 
erally "leader,"  "chief,"  "conduct- 
or," and,  in  Heb.  ii.  10,  is  translated 
"  captain."  The  idea  is,  that  he  is 
the  conductor  to  spiritual,  immortal 
life  ;  not  that  he  is  the  original  crea- 
tor and  author  of  either  our  physical 
or  moral  being.  John  x.  10.  Jesus 
came  to  enlarge  and  enrich  our  true 
life ;  to  extend  tlie  boundaries  of  our 
faith,  and  hope,  and  love  ;  to  give  our 
spiritual  faculties  a  higher,  wider, 
and  happier  exercise.  Whoever 
lives  in  him,  truly  lives.  —  Whom  God 
hath  raised  from  the  dead,  6{c.  God 
glorified  his  Son  by  raising  him  to 
life,  after  the  Jews  had  put  him  to 
a  cruel  and  ignominious  death ;  of 
which  resurrection  the  apostles  were 
constituted  witnesses  to  the  world. 
One  of  their  most  important  offices 


56 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


God  hath  raised  from  the  dead ;  whereof  we  are  witnesses.    And  16 
his  name,  through  faith  in  his  name,  hath  made  this  man  strong, 
whom  ye  see  and  know :   yea,  the  faith  whicii  is  by  him,  hath 
given  him  this  perfect  soundness  in  the  presence  of  you  all.    And  17 
now,  brethren,  I  wot  that  through  ignorance  ye  did  it,  as  did  also 
your  rulers.     But  those  things  which  God  before  had  showed  by  18 
the  mouth  of  all  his  prophets,  that  Christ  should  suffer,  he  hath 


was  to  hear  testimony  to  this  all-en- 
lightening fact,  this  sublime  truth, 
without  which  all  their  preaching 
was  vain,  and  their  converts  were 
yet  m  their  sins.  Acts  iv.  2 ;  1  Cor. 
XV.  12-20.  In  these  last  verses, 
an  implied  antithesis  is  run  between 
the  apostles  the  supposed,  and  God 
the  real,  cause  of  the  cure  ;  between 
the  wicked  conduct  of  the  Jcavs  and 
the  moral  sense  of  Pilate,  a  heathen 
governor;  between  their  treatment 
of  Jesus,  and  the  honor  shoAvn  him 
by  God  ;  between  the  choice  of  Ba- 
rabbas,  a  murderer,  and  the  rejection 
of  the  guide  to  life ;  between  tlie 
death  inflicted  on  the  Messiah  by  his 
countrymen,  and  the  life  from  the 
dead  bestowed  by  God.  There  is  a 
strength  and  majesty  in  these  ad- 
dresses of  the  apostles,  a  power  of 
reasoning  and  of  appeal,  which  make 
them  especially  worthy  of  the  study 
of  all  Christian  teachers ;  and  wliich 
prove  that  the  fishermen  of  Galilee 
had  received  a  Avisdom,  far  superior 
to  the  knowledge  of  their  times. 

16.  His  name,  %'c.  John  xv.  26 ; 
Acts  ii.  33.  The  miracle  is  referred 
to  its  true  source  in  the  faiih  re- 
posed in  J  esus.  The  word  "  name  " 
often  stands  for  the  person  himself. 
The  value  of  faith,  as  here  stated 
by  Peter,  corresponds  with  the  fre- 
quent testimony  of  our  Lord  to  its 
efficacy. .  "  Thy  faith  hatli  made  thee 
whole."  —  Whom  ye  see  and  know. 
Unless  the  facts  had  really  taken 
place  as  related,  could  the  apostle 
appeal  so  confidently  and  triumph- 
antly to  tlieir  truth  ?     Would  an  im- 


postor repeatedly  demand  attention 
and  investigation,  and  refer  to  the 
personal  knoAvledge  of  his  auditors  ? 
—  Yea,  the  faith  tvhich  is  by  him. 
The  idea  of  faith,  as  the  essential 
condition  to  the  miracle,  is  so  im- 
portant that  it  is  repeated  in  this  sec- 
ond clause  of  the  verse.  The  mira- 
cle would  prove  morally  efficacious 
only  in  proportion  as  it  was  associat- 
ed with  Jesus ;  in  whose  name,  and 
fortlie  furtherance  of  whose  gospel,  it 
was  worked.  Faith  in  Jesus,  as  the 
Son  of  God,  and  the  promised  Mes- 
siah, is  as  necessary  noAv  as  then,  in 
order  that  his  religion  may  work  its 
cure  of  our  diseased  and  infirm  char- 
acters. 

17,  18.  As  Neander  has  observed, 
"  After  Peter  had  said  Avhat  tended 
to  convince  them  of  their  guilt,  he 
adopted  a  milder  tone,  to  infuse  con- 
fidence, and  to  revive  the  contrite. 
He  brought  forward  what  might  be 
said  in  extenuation  of  tliose,  who  had 
united  in  the  condemnation  of  Christ, 
'  that  in  ignorance  they  had  denied 
the  Messiah,'  and  that,  as  far  as  tliey 
and  their  rulers  had  acted  in  igno- 
rance, it  was  in  consequence  of  a 
higher  necessity.  It  was  the  eternal 
council  of  God,  that  the  Messiah 
should  suffer  for  the  salvation  of 
men,  as  had  been  predicted  by  the 
prophets."  —  /  wot.  Old  English  for 
"I  know,"  from  tlie  Anglo-Saxon, 
wit-an,  to  see,  to  wit,  to  bnoAv ; 
from  which  comes  our  word  wit.  — 
Through  ignorance  ye  did  it,  i.  e.  put 
Jesus  to  death.  The  same  extenua- 
tion of  their  conduct  Avas  given  by 


III.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


57 


19  SO  fulfilled.     Repent  ye  therefore,  and  be  converted,  that  your 
sins  may  be  blotted  out,  when  the  times  of  refreshing  shall  come 


our  Lord  himself,  upon  tlie  cross, 
Luke  xxiii.  34 :  "  Father,  forgive 
tliem,  for  they  know  not  what  tJiey 
do ; "  and  by  Paul,  in  Acts  xiii.  27  ; 
and  in  1  Cor.  ii.  8 :  "  Which  [wisdom] 
none  of  the  princes  of  this  world 
knew ;  for,  had  they  known  it,  they 
would  not  have  crucified  the  Lord  of 
glory."  This  apostle  also  assigns 
tlie  same  palliation  of  his  persecu- 
tion of  the  Christian  church.  1  Tim. 
i.  13.  It  is  clear,  in  these  cases,  that 
ignorance  is  not  adduced  as  an  en- 
tire excuse,  but  as  a  mitigation  of  the 
guilt.  The  Jews  were  culpable  for 
Sieir  ignorance.  They  did  not  wish 
to  know,  did  not  hear,  and  see,  and 
understand  witli  candor,  but  wrapped 
themselves  up  in  their  prejudices, 
and  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  the  teach- 
ings of  Christ  The  ignorance  of 
Paul  was  also  sinful,  because  he  had 
not  taken  the  pains  to  know  tlie 
truth  in  so  important  a  matter,  and 
before  pursuing  such  high-handed 
measures  of  persecution.  Such  is 
the  universal  rule.  That  men  do  not 
know  their  duty  extenuates,  but  does 
not  excuse,  their  misconduct ;  for  it 
is  tlieir  duty  to  study  and  know  trutlis 
so  vital ;  no  obligation  is  more  im- 
perative. —  By  the  mouth  of  all  his 
prophets.  JIU  is  not  to  be  pressed. 
The  general  voice  of  prophecy,  right- 
ly understood,  proclaimed  a  suffer- 
ing, as  well  as  an  eventually  victo- 
rious, Messiah.  Luke  xviii.  31,  xxiv. 
26,  27,  46.  Compare  Is.  liii.  3  - 10  ; 
Dan.  ix.  26.  —  Christ  «  The  Christ," 
the  Messiah.  Campbell  remarks  that 
"  God  does  not  force  the  wills  of  his 
creatures;  but  he  makes  both  their 
errors  and  their  vices  conduce  to  ef- 
fect his  wise  and  gracious  purposes." 
19.  Repent  ye.  Mark  i.  15.  He 
noAV  makes  an  application  of  his 
doctrine,  and  appeals  to  their  con- 
sciences and  hearts.  If  they  had  erred 


tlu-ough  ignorance,  they  had  now  an 
opportunity  to  make  amends  for  their 
past  wickedness.  The  particular  sin 
he  calls  upon  them  to  repent  of,  was 
tlie  sin  of  rejecting  and  crucifying 
the  Messiah  :  that  was  their  leading 
iuiquity.  —  Be  converted.  Literally, 
"  turn."  He  exhorts  them  first  to  re- 
pent, to  feel  remorse  for  their  con- 
duct, and  resolve  to  amend ;  and  then 
to  turn  from  their  evil  course  to  the 
path  of  life  and  peace.  One  word 
implies  rather  tlie  change  of  mind, 
and  the  other  the  reformation  of  the 
conduct.  —  That  your  sins  may  be 
blotted  out  Acts  ii.  38  ;  Is.  xliii.  25. 
Notwitlistanding  their  great  guilt  in 
the  rejection  and  crucifixion  of  the 
Messiah,  God  was  still  ready  to  for- 
give tliem  on  condition  of  their  re- 
pentance and  reformation,  and  their 
now  becoming  the  disciples  of  tlieir 
crucified  Saviour.  Mat.  xii.  32.  If 
they  would  repent  and  turn,  their 
"  sins  would  be  blotted  out."  This 
figure  of  speech  is  taken  from  effa- 
cing or  blotting  out  Avhat  is  inscribed 
on  a  tablet,  or  in  a  book ;  as  God  is 
represented  figuratively  as  keeping. 
a  book,  in  which  he  records  the  evil 
actions  of  men ;  a  book  of  remem- 
brance, from  which,  if  they  repent 
of  what  they  have  done,  he  obliter- 
ates the  accusing  entries.  It  does 
not  appear  that  the  conditions,  or  the 
effects  of  pardon,  are  any  different 
now,  from  what  they  were  before  the 
death  of  Christ.  They  are  still  re- 
pentance and  reformation ;  the  same 
under  the  Jewish  and  under  the 
Christian  system.  The  death  of  Je- 
sus was  not  to  affect  in  the  least  the 
fundamental  principles  of  the  divine 
government,  but  to  act  upon  tlie  hu- 
man heart,  and  bring  it  into  harmony 
with  the  will  of  God.  The  strain  of 
Moses  and  tlie  prophets  to  the  wicked 
and  disobedient  was,  Repent,   and 


58 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


from  the  presence  of  the  Lord ;  and  he  shall  send  Jesus  Christ,  20 
which  before  was  preached  unto  you :   whom  the  heaven  must  21 
receive,  until  the  times  of  restitution  of  all  things,  which  God 
hath  spoken  by  the  mouth  of  all  his  holy  prophets,  since  the 


you  shall  be  forgiven.  John  the 
Baptist  and  Jesus  preached  repent- 
ance, as  the  preliminary  step  to  en- 
tering the  kingdom  of  heaven.  And 
now  we  find  the  apostles  taking  up 
the  same  exhortation,  and  urging 
home,  with  irresistible  power,  on  their 
hearers,  the  duty  of  repentance,  and 
the  promise  of  mercy.  But  it  is  no- 
where said  in  the  Bible  that  forgive- 
ness cancels  all  the  consequences 
of  sin ;  that  no  blemish  or  stain  is 
left;  that  the  penitent  sinner  is  as 
pure  and  fair  as  if  he  had  never  sin- 
ned at  all.  Ps.  xcix.  8.  Pardon  re- 
moves the  greatest  evil,  the  state  of 
alienation  from  God,  and  the  fear  of 
his  displeasure  ;  but  many  of  tlie 
physical  and  moral  effects  of  sin  still 
remain.  The  wound  may  be  healed, 
but  a  scar  is  left.  Therefore  fear, 
fear  to  sin.  —  When  the  times  of  re- 
freshing shall  come.  Or,  better,  "  that 
the  times  of  refreshing  may  come." 
A  variety  of  opinions  is  held  re- 
specting the  meaning  of  this  phrase. 
But  the  general  idea  is  this,  that,  if 
they  would  repent  and  reform,  they 
would  be  pardoned,  and  would  enjoy, 
nationally,  that  happy  state  of  peace 
and  joy  belonging  to  the  Mes- 
siah's kingdom.  "  The  times  of  re- 
freshing" —  literally,  "of  breathing 
again  "  —  were  conditional,  and  de- 
pended upon  the  fulfilment  of  duty 
on  their  part  If  they  would  accept 
the  proffers  ofdivine  mercy,  and  com- 
ply with  the  obligation  of  the  new 
covenant,  a  happier  season  would 
come,  when  the  moral  and  spiritual 
laws  would  be  obeyed,  when  truth, 
and  liberty,  and  holiness,  and  love, 
would  reign.  The  golden  age  of 
their  untiring  hopes  would  open  up- 
on the  world.     Tlie  kinfydom  of  God 


would  come,  and  his  will  be  done 
on  earth  as  in  heaven. — From  the 
presence  of  the  Lord.  Rendered  by 
Bloomfield,  as  a  Hebrew  circumlo- 
cution for  "by  God's  providence," 

20,  21.  Jl7id  he  shall  send  Jesus 
Christ.  This  is  connected  with  tlie 
preceding  clause,  "  that  the  times  of 
refreshing  may  come,  and  that  he 
may  send  Jesus  Christ."  Acts  i.  11. 
This  refers  to  the  coming  of  Christ, 
not  personally,  but  in  the  spirit  and 
power  of  his  religion,  especially  at 
the  overthrow  of  Jerusalem  and 
Judaism.  The  times  of  refreshing 
would  also  be  the  times  of  the  com- 
ing of  Christ  in  the  spirit,  with  which 
he  would  penetrate  the  world,  the 
preaching  of  his  disciples,  and  the 
reproduction  of  his  own  life  and  like- 
ness in  the  characters  of  his  follow- 
ers. —  Preached  unto  you.  Gries- 
bach  and  other  critics  read,  "ap- 
pointed or  destined  for  you."  Jesus 
was  sanctified  and  sent  by  the  Fa- 
ther for  the  rescue  and  salvation  of 
the  world,  dead  in  trespasses  and 
sing.  He  was  set  apart  for  this  of- 
fice. The  speaker  urges  the  point, 
that  Jesus  came  not  to  preach  him- 
self, not  to  do  his  own  will,  but  the 
Avill  of  him  that  sent  him ;  that  he 
was  the  ordained  ambassador,  clothed 
with  the  authority  of  Heaven,  and  en- 
titled to  the  obedience  of  men.  He 
was  no  pretender,  no  impostor,  but 
the  very  Son  of  God,  the  venerated 
Messiah,  the  heavenly  King.  There 
could  only  be  guilt  and  ruin  in  re- 
jecting his  claims  ;  but,  on  the  other 
hand,  times  of  refreshing  would  fol- 
low the  faitli  and  practice  of  his  re- 
lioion.  —  Whom  the  heaven  must  re- 
ceive. Or,  rather,  "  must  retain  ; "  or, 
"  whom  it  is  proper  that  the  heavena 


III.] 


OF   THE   APOSTLES. 


22  world  began.  For  Moses  truly  said  unto  the  fathers,  A  Prophet 
shall  the  Lord  your  God  raise  up  unto  you,  of  your  brethren,  like 
unto  me ;  him  shall  ye  hear  in  all  things,  whatsoever  he  shall  say 

23  unto  you.  And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  every  soul  which  will 
not  hear  that  Prophet,  shall  be  destroyed  from  among  the  people. 


should  retain."  This  was  thrown  in 
to  meet  a  difficulty  in  the  Jewish 
mind.  The  Messiah  was  expected 
to  reign  in  person  on  the  earth.  But 
he  was  withdrawn  at  his  ascension, 
and  was  no  more  to  be  seen  guiding 
and  animating  his  followers.  The 
apostle  assures  his  hearers  that  the 
heavens  ought  to  retain  him,  that  it 
was  not  proper  tiiat  he  should  be 
personally  present  during  the  pro- 
cess of  moral  renovation  in  the  world. 
Lightfoot  parapln-ases  the  whole  pas- 
sage thus :  "  However,  tlierefore,  ye 
have  crucified  Christ,  yet  God  shall 
still  send  you  Jesus  Christ  in  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel,  to  fulfil 
these  things.  Him,  indeed,  as  to  his 
person,  the  heavens  do  contain,  and 
sliall  contain,  until  all  these  things 
be  perfected ;  expect  not,  therefore, 
with  the  erring  nation,  his  personal 
presence  always  on  earth,  but  he 
shall  make  up  and  constitute  all 
things  by  us  his  ministers,  until  the 
times  determined  and  prefixed  for 
the  perfecting  of  this  restitution 
shall  come."  —  The.  times  of  restitu- 
tion of  all  things.  The  times  of  re- 
storing or  accomplishing  all  things. 
Milman  remarks  that  "  This  restitu- 
tion of  all  things,  in  the  common 
Jewish  belief,  was  to  be  almost  si- 
multaneous with,  or  to  follow  very 
closely,  the  appearance  of  the  Mes- 
siah ; "  and  he  hints  that  Peter  may 
not  yet  have  been  entirely  disen- 
cumbered of  the  Jewish  notion  that 
the  Messiah  would  immediately  re- 
appear, to  fulfil  to  the  Jewish  people 
all  that  they  iiad  hoped  from  this 
greater  than  Moses.  Acts  i,  6.  "  The 
times  of  restitution,"  and  "  the  times 
of  refreshing,"  ver.  19,  are  tliought 


by  some  to  be  the  same.  They  are 
equivalent  to  the  time  when  tlie 
prophecies  relating  to  the  Messiah 
should  be  accomplished,  when  Chris- 
tianity should  prevail,  and  a  new 
moral  creation  arise.  Mat  xvii.  11 ; 
1  Cor.  XV.  25;  Heb.x.l2, 13;  2  Pet 
iii.  13.  Newcome,  with  Pearce,  par- 
aphrases the  sentence  thus  :  "  When 
all  things  shall  be  disposed,  ordered, 
settled,  in  a  perfect  state,  from  their 
present  imperfect  one."  There  is  no 
reference,  probably,  to  the  end  of 
time,  or  to  the  general  resurrection. 

—  Which     Concerning  which  times. 

—  By  the  mouth  of  all  his  holy  proph- 
ets, since  the  world  began.  Or,  "  from 
the  beginning."  Nothing  is  more 
clear  than  that  Judaism  contemplat- 
ed a  successor  superior  to  itself;  that 
the  Old  Testament  points  to  tlie 
New ;  that  Moses  and  the  prophets 
saw,  in  prophetic  vision,  Jesus  and 
the  apostles.  And,  in  reasoning  with 
the  Jews,  Peter  well  presses  this  ar- 
gument, that  Jesus  was  foretold  by 
the  patriarchs  and  prophets ;  and  that, 
so  far  from  his  deserting  the  ancient 
faith,  he  was  most  directly  and  faith- 
fully carrying  it  out  to  its  legitimate 
and  expected  results,  and  advancing 
the  great  hope  and  desire  of  the  na- 
tion to  the  consummation,  devoutly 
to  be  wished. 

22,  23.  Moses.  The  Jews  relied 
much  upon  the  authority  of  Moses ; 
and  if  the  apostle  could  adduce  his 
great  name  on  his  side,  the  effect 
Avould  be  irresistible.  He  shows 
that,  so  far  from  rejecting  Moses,  he 
clung  with  the  most  reverential  faith 
to  his  teachings.  —  Uiito  the  fatlitrs^ 
i.  e.  the  ancient  Israelites.  —  Ji  proph- 
et.    See  Deut  xviii.  15,  18,  19.  The 


60 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


Yea,  and  all  the  prophets  from  Samuel,  and  those  that  follow  24 
after,  as  many  as  have  spoken,  have  likewise  foretold  of  these 


general  view  of  the  commentators 
is,  tliat  Moses  predicts  a  series  of 
prophets,  rather  than  any  single  in- 
dividual ;  and  that  the  words  are  ap- 
plicable to  Jesus,  as  he  was  the 
greatest  and  the  last  of  the  line ;  and 
what  is  said  of  the  guilt  of  disobe- 
dience, is  especially  applicable  to 
those  who  rejected  and  crucified 
him.  —  Of  your  brethren,  like  unto 
me.  Acts  vii.  37.  This  sufficiently 
indicates  tlie  character  of  the  pro- 
phetic line,  and  of  the  last,  as  of  all 
preceding  members.  Jesus  resem- 
bled Moses,  though  in  nature  and  of- 
fice far  exalted  above  him,  in  the 
fact  that  he  was  the  head  of  a  new 
covenant,  that  he  was  a  lawgiver,  and 
that  he  was  a  mediator  between  God 
and  his  people.  How  free  from  jeal- 
ousy was  that  great  Hebrew  leader, 
in  thus  pointing  out  the  long  line  of 
his  successors,  and  the  illustrious 
personage  at  its  close !  Hov/  much 
of  the  self-forgetting  spirit,  which  af- 
terwards characterized  John  the  Bap- 
tist !  —  "he  must  increase,  but  I  must 
decrease."  —  That  every  soul,  ^t. 
This  is  not  an  exact  quotation,  but 
gives  the  sense  of  Deut.  xviii.  19, 
"  I  will  require  it  of  him."  —  Shall 
be  destroyed  from  among  the  people, 
i.  e.  not  put  to  death,  but  cut  olf,  ex- 
communicated —  the  most  fearful  of 
all  punishments.  He  could  be  no 
true  Israelite,  who  did  not  hearken 
to  the  prophet  whom  Moses  himself 
had  pointed  out,  and  for  which  his 
religion  was  but  a  preparation.  TJie 
argument  of  this  address  of  Peter, 
the  more  we  consider  his  audience, 
will  be  felt  to  be  unanswerable. 
We  cease  to  wonder  at  the  immense 
number  of  his  converts.  Acts  iv.  4. 
When  we  compare  his  present  speech 
with  his  former  blindness  and  vacil- 
lation, can  we  hesitate  to  ascribe  the 


difference  to  the  working  in  his  mind 
of  new  influences,  shed  abroad  on 
tlie  day  of  Pentecost  ? 

24.  All  the  prophets.  A  general 
term,  not  to  be  cut  to  the  quick  ;  a 
majority,  many  of  the  prophets. — 
Samuel.  He  was  the  most  distin- 
guished religious  teacher  and  proph- 
et after  Moses,  and  the  Jews  called 
him  "the  master  of  the  prophets." 
He  is  mentioned  in  honorable  con- 
nexion with  Moses  and  Aaron,  in  Ps. 
xcix.  6.  In  2  Sam.  vii.  16,  25,  29, 
we  have  references  to  the  perpetui- 
ty of  the  house  of  David,  which  is 
fulfilled  in  the  reign  of  Jesus  the  son 
of  Da\  id.  —  As  many  as  have  spok- 
en, i.  e.  officially,  professionally,  as 
religious  teachers  and  prophets.  Gen. 
xii.  3 ;  Is,  xi.  liii. ;  Dan.  ix.  2G  ;  Hag. 
ii.  7,  9.  Though  we  may  find  it  dif- 
ficult, in  all  cases,  to  point  out  the 
exact  prediction  in  so  many  words, 
yet  we  find,  in  most  of  the  prophet- 
ical books,  a  looking  forward  and  up- 
ward to  a  glorious  age  to  come :  a 
yearning  after  a  purer  and  happier 
condition  of  the  world ;  bnlliant 
flashes  of  hope  in  the  deepest  na- 
tional abasement ;  and  an  unfaltering 
faith  in  that  overruling  God  Avho 
would  bring  light  out  of  darkness, 
and  make  the  wrath  of  men  praise 
him.  Hardly  any  object  in  the  world 
is  more  sublime,  morally  speaking, 
than  one  of  those  old  Hebrew  seers, 
plunged  in  the  midst  of  a  dark  and 
degraded  generation ;  yet  lifting  up 
his"  head,  and  looking  beyond  his 
time  to  the  auspicious  future,  to  the 
Messiah  and  his  kingdom;  and, 
amidst  poverty,  contempt,  and  sin, 
still  maintaining  an  unshaken  loyal- 
ty to  his  God,  and  perhaps  falling  a 
victim  to  popular  odium  or  royal 
jealousy,  as  a  preacher  of  righteous- 


III.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


61 


23  days.  Ye  are  the  children  of  the  prophets,  and  of  the  covenant 
which  God  made  with  our  fathers,  saying  unto  Abraham,  And 

2G  in  thy  seed  shall  all  the  kindreds  of  the  earth  be  blessed.  Unto 
you  first,  God  having  raised  up  his  Son  Jesus,  sent  him  to  bless 
you,  in  turning  away  every  one  of  you  from  his  iniquities. 


25.  Ye  are  the.  children  of  the 
prophets.  A  phrase  expressive,  not 
of  literal  descent,  but  of  endeared 
moral  relation.  They  were  the  sons, 
pupils,  disciples,  of  the  prophets. 
They  professed  to  follow  their  guid- 
ance, and  trust  in  their  predictions. 
He  appeals  to  them  to  make  good 
their  honorable  relation  to  the  proph- 
ets, on  this  occasion,  by  hearkening 
to  their  prophecies  of  the  Messiah. 
He  would  awaken  their  reverence, 
and  enlist  even  their  pride  on  the 
side  of  truth.  He  would  warn  them 
not  to  disgi-ace,  by  their  infidelity,  the 
exalted  character  of  being  the  sons 
of  the  prophets.  —  Of  the  covenant. 
Tliey  were  the  children  of  the  cov- 
enant, i.  e.  admitted  to  its  privileges. 
They  were  a  party  in  tiie  compact, 
by  which  the  Lord  would  be  their 
God,  and  tliey  should  be  his  people. 
Gen.  xxii.  ]8.  As  they  would  not 
forfeit  their  title  to  the  great  bless- 
ings of  the  ancient  covenant,  the 
venerable  charter  of  their  national 
existence  and  distinction,  —  as  they 
Avould  be  faithful  to  that  binding 
compact  of  two  thousand  years,  —  he 
entreats  them  not  to  reject  him  who 
was  the  centre  and  crown  of  the 
whole,  the  Messiah,  in  whom  the 
wJiole  huiiKin  species  were  to  be 
blessed.  —  M/ide,  ivith  our  fathers. 
The  reverence  they  owed  their  an- 
cestors should  not  suffer  them  to 
break  lightly  the  ancient  agreement. 
—  Saying  unto  ./Vorahavi,  ^c.  Gen. 
xii.  3,  xvii.  2-10,  xviii.  18.  Since 
the  Messiah  was  to  spring  from  the 
line  of  Abraham,  it  was  thus  that, 
in  his  seed,  all  the  nations  of  the 
earth  should  be  blessed.  This  sen- 
tence is  a  declaration  of  the  univer- 

VOL.    III.  6 


sality  of  the  Christian  religion,  —  the 
richest  and  the  most  needed  bless- 
ing that  can  be  conferred  upon  the 
world.  Gal.  iii.  8,  16.  Thank  God, 
prophecy  is  now  becoming  history, 
and  all  nations  are  being  blest  by 
the  gospel :  the  heralds  of  the  cross 
pierce  the  darkest  corners  of  the 
earth,  and  Jesus  is  preached  and 
obeyed  among  some  of  all  the  kin- 
dreds of  the  earth.  —  In  thy  seed. 
Through  thy  seed,  i.  e.  the  Messiah, 
the  descendant  of  Abraham. 

26.  Unto  you  first.  The  Jews 
were  first  favored  with  the  privileges 
of  the  gospel.  The  opportunity  was 
given  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house 
of  Israel  to  return  to  the  fold  of  the 
true  Shepherd.  But  if  they  lent  a 
deaf  ear  to  the  voice  of  mercy,  then 
the  apostles  were  to  turn  to  the  Gen- 
tiles. Mat.  X.  G ;  Luke  xxiv.  47 ;  John 
iv.  22 ;  Acts  xiii.  46.  —  Having  raised 
up,  i.  e.  originally  provided.  Ver.  22. 
No  reference  is  here  made  to  his 
having  raised  Jesus  from  the  dead. 
Cod  had  created,  appointed,  sancti- 
fied, and  sent  his  Son  on  this  great 
moral  errand  of  bringing  men  back 
from  their  wanderings.  He  was  the 
Messenger  of  his  will,  the  Ambassa- 
dor of  iiis  counsels.  —  To  bless  you. 
Ver.  25.  You  would  share  in  his 
blessings  M'ith  the  rest  of  the  kin- 
dreds of  the  earth,  or  even  earlier, 
and  more  than  they.  —  In  turning 
away  every  one-  of  you  from  his  ini- 
quities. Words  of  truth  and  power. 
Jesus  came  to  save  us  not  in  our 
sins,  but  from  them.  Mat  i.  21. 
The  apostle  seems  here  to  become 
aware  of  the  spiritual  nature  and 
object  of  Christ's  mission,  as  a  moral 
agency  to  save  men  from  error  and 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

The  Imprisonment  of  Peter  and  John,  their  Examination  before  the  Sanhedrim, 
and  Release,  and  the  Prosperity  of  the  Christian  Church. 

And  as  they  spake  unto  the  people,  the  priests,  and  the  captain 


sin.  What  greater  blessing  for  all 
the  kindreds  of  the  human  family 
than  this  !  Speak  not  of  gold  and 
silver,  of  genius,  or  office,  or  sceptres. 
Do  we  not  knoAv  that  they  are  baw- 
bles  all,  when  compared  witli  turning 
from  error  and  sin  to  the  faith,  obe- 
dience, and  service,  of  the  ever-living 
Father?  Neither  earth  nor  heaven 
has  any  greater  good  to  bestow,  than 
to  wean  men  from  their  base  and 
selfish  desires,  and  implant  the  germ 
of  a  moral,  spiritual,  and  heavenly 
life.  Too  often,  alas !  has  tlie  beau- 
tiful purpose  of  his  religion  been 
overlooked,  and  the  gospel  been 
made  an  engine  of  party  or  power. 
But  there  it  still  stands  on  high,  the 
lotty,  the  monumental  truth,  that  Je- 
sus came  to  save  men  by  turning 
them  from  wickedness  of  every  kind, 
from  all  abuses  and  perversions,  from 
injustice,  and  sensuality,  and  impie- 
ty, to  reconcile  them  to  God,  and 
breathe  a  new  spiritual  life  into  their 
souls.  O  that  every  denomination 
of  Christians  might  inscribe  tliis  sub- 
lime purpose  on  its  banners,  and  go 
forth  to  war,  not  with  its  brethren, 
but  with  the  common  and  mortal  foe, 
with  sin  and  misery  !  And  when  we 
see  the  great  spiritual  design  of 
Christianity,  its  benevolence  and  ex- 
cellence, how  Avorthy  was  it  then  of 
labor,  danger,  and  even  the  sacrifice 
of  life ;  and  how  Avorthy  is  it  noAv  of 
the  same  boundless  devotion  in  its 
behalf!  —  Every  one  of  you.  Reli- 
gion is  a  personal  concern.  Christ 
Avould  bless  and  save  every  man. 
But  there  is  no  truth  more  certain, 
than  that  Ave  can  be  blessed  and 
saved  by  him  only  in  proportion  as 
we  are  faithful  in  our  duties,  and 
exert  our  OAvn  poAvers  to  love  and 


follow  him.  There  is  no  magic,  no 
spell,  in  his  salvation,  by  Avhich  the 
sluggard  or  the  scoflTer  can  be  res- 
cued from  the  path  of  ruin,  without 
any  effort  on  his  part.  His  religion 
is  a  system  of  motives,  means,  helps, 
in  beautiful  analogy  with  the  great 
fabric  of  Nature  and  the  living  pres- 
ence of  Providence.  Jesus  saves  us 
by  teaching  us  the  truth ;  by  the 
communication  of  spiritual  influ- 
ences ;  by  spurring  our  flagging 
powers,  and  enkindling  our  dead- 
ened affections  ;  by  presenting  high 
and  holy  motives,  draAvn  from  God, 
from  life,  death,  and  eternity,  fitted 
to  bear  on  the  vital  springs  of  action, 
the  living  point  of  the  heart  He 
has  come  to  give  us  thrilling  con- 
victions of  the  evil  and  ruin  of  sin, 
to  uncover  the  judgment  scene,  to 
bring  immortality  to  light,  and  to 
lead  us  to  act  Avith  a  Avise  reference 
to  futurity.  But  only  as  Ave  cherish 
an  individual  faith  in  Christ,  and  a 
sense  of  personal  responsibility,  can 
Ave  be  "  every  one  of  us,"  turned  from 
our  iniquities,  and  blessed  and  saved 
Avitli  an  everlasting  salvation. 

CHAPTER  IV. 
].  ^^nd  as  they  spake.  "While 
they  were  speaking"  Avould  be  a 
more  definite  rendering.  The  di- 
vision into  chapters  interrupts  the 
narrative  commenced  in  the  last 
chapter.  —  The  priests.  They  at- 
tended upon  the  temple  service  in 
great  numbers,  and  Avould  be  jealous 
of  any  interference  Avith  their  reli- 
gious influence  over  the  people. — 
The  captain  of  the  temple.  Or,  "  ruler 
of  the  temple."  Some  uncertainty 
exists  respecting  this  officer.  Light- 
foot,  Hammond,  and  otliers,  call  him 


IV.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


6^- 


2  of  the  temple,  and  the  Sadducees  came  upon  them,  being  grieved 
that  they  taught  the  people,  and  preached  through  Jesus  the  res- 

3  urrection  from  the  dead.     And  they  laid  hands  on  them,  and  put 


a  Roman  commander,  whose  station 
was  in  the  neighboring  tower  of 
Antonia,  and  whose  duty  it  was  to 
repress  any  disturbance  or  insurrec- 
tion within  the  courts  or  avenues  of 
the  sacred  edifice.  But  the  more 
probable  opinion,  advocated  by  Le 
Clerc,  Lardner,  Kuinoel,  Rosenmul- 
ler,  Bloomfield,  Robinson,  Olshausen, 
and  many  others,  is,  that  it  was  a  Jew- 
ish officer,  the  prefect  of  the  guard 
of  the  Levites  ;  stationed  to  preserve 
order  and  to  watch  over  the  sacred 
things  of  the  temple ;  and  variously 
called  by  the  Talmudists,  "  the  man 
of  the  mountain  of  the  house," 
and  "the  head  of  the  ward."  An 
officer  of  this  description  is  spo- 
ken of  by  Josephus,  where  he  men- 
tions, in  his  Antiquities,  the  bind- 
ing of  "  the  high-priest  Ananias, 
and  the  captain  Ananus  ; "  and  also 
calls  Eleazer,  the  son  of  the  high- 
priest  Ananias,  "  captain."  Lardner 
remarks  that,  as  "  there  was  a  great 
variety  of  ministrations  at  the  tem- 
ple, and  a  great  number  of  priests 
and  Levites  always  in  waiting,  but 
especially  at  the  feasts ;  it  is  very 
likely  there  was  an  officer  who  pre- 
sided over  each  division,  and  that 
there  was  one  who  had  command 
above  all  the  rest"  See  Luke  xxii. 
4,  52;  also  John  ^viii.  12.  There 
appears  to  have  been,  on  this  occa- 
sion, no  tumult,  as  in  Acts  xxi.  31,  to 
arouse  the  jealousy  of  a  Roman. 
Besides,  we  can  hardly  suppose  that 
the  priests  would  associate  so  famil- 
iarly with  a  Gentile,  lest  they  should 
be  defiled.  —  The  Sadducees.  They 
constituted  one  of  the  leading  Jew- 
ish sects,  and  at  this  time  appear  to 
have  been  in  the  ascendant.  See 
note  on  Mat  iii.  7.  They  were  ac- 
counted more  severe  in  their  admin- 
istration of  public  affairs,  when  in 


power,  than  the  rival  sect  of  Phari- 
sees. —  Came  upon  them.  The  origi- 
nal implies  suddenness  and  violence 
of  approach,  as  if  with  hostile  inten- 
tions. 

2.  Being:  grieved.  More  than  that, 
"filled  with  anger,  indignation." 
They  were  not  sorry,  but  provoked 
at  the  conduct  of  the  apostles.  — 
Taught  the  people.  The  priests  would 
be  more  particularly  oflfended  at  this, 
because  they  deemed  it  the  exclu- 
sive right  of  the  Rabbins,  and  doc- 
tors of  the  laAv,  and  scribes,  to  teach 
the  people  upon  the  subject  of  reli- 
gion. This  ecclesiastical  jealousy 
of  interference  has  been  exhibited 
at  various  periods  of  history,  and 
many  a  reformer  has  met  with  the 
frowns  of  those  who  were  officially 
the  guardians  of  the  interests  of  truth 
and  righteousness,  but  who  proved 
unworthy  of  their  high  trust.  — 
Through  Jesus^  the  resurrection  from 
the  dead,  i.  e.  that  the  resurrection 
was  proved  and  exemplified  by  the 
case  of  Jesus.  The  Pharisees,  who 
believed  in  this  doctrine,  would  be 
indignant  to  have  it  advocated  in 
connexion  with  him  whom  they  had 
crucified.  But  tlie  Sadducees  more 
particularly  would  be  exasperated  at 
the  preaching  of  this  truth,  because 
they  denied  immortality  to  the  hu- 
man spirit  Acts  xxiii.  8.  The  mo- 
tives, therefore,  suggested  in  this 
verse  for  the  persecution  of  the  dis- 
ciples, are  entirely  in  harmony  with 
what  we  elsewhere  learn  of  the 
opinions  and  pretensions  of  the 
priests  and  Sadducees.  No  want  of 
charity  was  shown  by  the  historian 
in  putting  this  construction  upon 
their  proceedings. 

3.  Pid  them,  in  hold.  Or,  "in 
prison  ; "  perhaps  the  same  mentioned 
in  Acts  V.  18.    As  it  was  now  even- 


64 


THE  ACTS 


[Cha]^. 


them  in  hold  unto  the  next  day  :  for  it  was  now  even-tide.     How-  4 
beit,  many  of  them  which  heard  the  word,  believed;    and  the 

number  of  the  men  was  about  five  thousand. And  it  came  5 

to  pass  on  the  morrow,  that  their  rulers,  and  elders,  and  scribes, 
and  Annas  the  high-priest,  and  Caiaphas,  and  John,  and  Alex-  6 
ander,  and  as  many  as  were  of  the  kindred  of  the  high-priest, 

added,  but  that  the  whole  number 
up  to  this  time,  amounted  to  about 
five  thousand.  Acts  ii.  41,  47.  If 
this  growth  is  astonishing,  we  must 
recollect  the  powerful  agencies 
brought  into  operation  upon  the  Jews 
at  this  time ;  which  enabled  the 
apostles,  in  one  sense,  to  do  gi-eater 
works  than  their  Master,  as  he  had 
predicted.  John  xiv.  12.  The  death 
of  Jesus,  his  resurrection,  and  ascen- 
sion, witli  all  the  accompanying  cir- 
cumstances, had  prepared  tlie  way 
for  great  effects.  The  apostles 
stood  upon  a  vantage  ground,  not 
before  afforded,  from  which  to  urge 
home  the  truths  of  the  gospel. 

5,  6.  Rulers.  By  which  is  prob- 
ably meant  persons  of  great  authori- 
ty and  influence  in  Jewish  affairs, 
who  had  seats  in  the  Sanhedrim. 
This  body  consisted  of  about  seven- 
ty members,  before  whom  the  apos- 
tles were  tried,  as  their  Lord  had 
been  before  them.  —  Elders  and 
scribes.  These  were  different  classes, 
distinguished,  the  one  rather  by 
age  and  gravity,  the  other  by  their 
employment  as  transcribers  and  in- 
terpreters of  the  Jesvish  law.  The 
Avhole,  together,  constituted  the  high- 
est council  of  the  nation.  —  Annas 
the  high-priest.  Called  by  Josephus, 
Ananus.  He  had  been  high-priest 
formerly,  and  still  retained  the  name, 
though  it  is  supposed  that  he  now- 
held  the  office  of  vicar,  or  deputy, 
Caiaphas  being  the  actual  high-priest. 
He  had  seen  the  remarkable  fortune 
of  having  five  sons,  and  one  or  two 
sons-in-law,  in  the  office  of  high- 
priest.  He  is  mentioned  in  connex- 
ion with  Caiaphas  in  Luke  iii.  2 ;  and 


ing,  —  for  the  miracle  was  wrought 
after  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 
Acts  iii.  1,  —  they  were  put  into  cus- 
tody until  tlie  next  day,  when  tlie 
Sanhedrim  could  be  assembled  : 
though  in  tlie  case  of  the  Master, 
their  hot  impatience,  and  perhaps 
fear  of  a  reaction  in  the  popular 
mind,  urged  them  to  a  night  session. 
Mat.  xxvi.  74,  xxvii.  1.  —  Even-tide. 
Evening.  "  Tide  "  is  from  the  An- 
glo-Saxon word  tid,  which  means 
time,  season,  hour.  It  was  probably 
now  about  the  hour  of  twilight, 
called  by  the  Jews  the  second 
evening ;  the  first,  according  to  the 
Pharisees,  beginning  at  the  ninth 
hour,  or  our  three  o'clock.  Acts  iii.  1, 
or,  according  to  the  Caraites,  a  class 
professing  greater  purity,  at  sunset, 
or  about  our  six  o'clock,  P.  M. 

4.  Howbeit.  "  But."  Notwith- 
standing the  check  now  intended  by 
the  assault  of  persecution,  the  Chris- 
tian church  increased  to  a  great 
number.  —  Heard  the  loord.  The 
Improved  Version  and  Sacy  render 
it  "heard  tlie  discourse  of  Peter." 
Luke  tlirows  in  the  present  verse  to 
show  what  the  effect  was  of  the 
apostle's  preaching,  recorded  in  the 
last  chapter,  before  he  proceeds  to 
give  the  narrative  of  the  trial.  —  Be- 
lieved, I.  e.  became  followers  of  the 
Messiah,  for  faith  was  the  essential 
preliminary  to  discipleship.  —  .ISTum- 
ber  of  the  men.  Of  souls,  of  human 
beings.  —  Was.  Original,  "  was 
made,"  or  "became." — About  Jive 
thousand.  The  writer  does  not  pro- 
fess perfect  accuracy,  but  gives  the 
round  numbers.  The  idea  seems 
to  be,  not  that  so  many  were  now 


IV.l 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


69^ 


7  were  gathered  together  at  Jerusalem.     And  when  they  had  set 
them  in  the  midst,  they  asked,  By  what  power,  or  by  what  name 

8  have  ye  done  this? Then  Peter,  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost, 

9  said  unto  them,  Ye  rulers  of  the  people,  and  elders  of  Israel,  if 


to  him  Jesus  was  first  carried,  as  it 
would  seem,  out  of  deference  to  his 
high  standing.  John  xviii.  13.  — 
Caiaplms.  The  fact  of  his  relent- 
less hostility  to  Jesus,  evinced  how 
slight  was  the  probability  of  an  im- 
partial trial  to  the  apostles.  Mat 
xxvi.  65  ;  John  xi.  49  -  53,  xviii.  14. 
—  John  and  Alexander.  It  has  been 
variously  conjectured  by  the  learned, 
that  John  was  the  celebrated  Jo- 
chananben  Zaccai,  a  Jewish  Rabbin, 
of  whom  it  was  said,  at  his  death, 
that  "the  glory  of  Avisdom  ceased  ;  " 
and  that  Alexander  was  Alexander 
Lysimachus,  a  very  wealthy  man, 
brother  to  the  distinguished  Philo, 
and  connected  by  marriage  with 
Agrippa  the  elder  ;  but  nothing  cer- 
tain is  known  of  them  beyond  their 
names  in  this  place.  —  The  kindred 
of  the  hi^h-priest.  Acts  v.  1 7.  The 
heads  of  the  twenty-four  courses  are 
understood  by  some ;  while  others, 
with  more  likelihood,  regard  the  kin- 
dred as  signifying  the  connexions 
of  the  powerful  house  of  Annas.  By 
the  above  enumeration,  the  historian 
tacitly  exhibits  the  hopelessness  of 
justice  being  done  to  the  prisoners, 
and  the  formidable  array  of  their  en- 
emies. —  At  Jerusalem.  The  San- 
hedrim sometimes  sat  in  other  places. 
Wakefield,  however,  intimates,  by 
his  version,  the  idea  that  the  mem- 
bers of  the  council  belonging  to  Je- 
rusalem assembled,  while  those  liv- 
ing elsewhere  were  absent,  on  such 
short  notice. 

7.  Set  them  in  the  midst.  The  San- 
hedrim were  seated  in  a  semicircle  ; 
and  persons  coming  before  them  on 
business,  or  criminals,  Avere  pllced 
literally  "in  the  midst,"  or  in  the 
area  surrounded  by  the  seats  of  the 


members.  It  is  to  be  inferred,  from 
ver.  14,  that  the  restored  cripple  was 
also  put  into  custody,  with  his  friends, 
and  now  arraigned  with  them  before 
the  council ;  or  that  he  voluntarily 
presented  himself  as  an  evidence  in 
their  behalf.  —  By  what  poiver,  or  by 
ivhat  name,  have  ye  done  this  ''I  Mat 
xxi.  23.  They  perhaps  thought  to 
intimidate  them,  or  to  make  them 
ashamed  of  avowing  as  their  Mas- 
ter the  crucified  Jesus.  They  com- 
posed the  most  venerable  body  of 
the  nation,  men  of  great  weight  and 
influence  with  the  people,  of  vast 
learning,  and  long  practice  in  civil 
and  ecclesiastical  affairs ;  and  they 
might  well  suppose  that  their  very 
presence  would  strike  terror  into  the 
fishermen  of  Galilee,  common  and 
unlettered  men.  They  ask  them  by 
what  poAver  or  art,  and  by  the  in- 
vocation of  Avhat  name,  they  had 
Avrought  the  cure  of  the  lame  man, 
related  in  the  previous  chapter.  "  The 
JcAvs  believed  very  wonderful  Avorks, 
even  miracles,  to  be  performed  by 
magic  arts  and  incantation,  i.  e.  in- 
voking the  names  of  certain  angels 
or  illustrious  patriarchs,"  as  Abra- 
ham, Solomon,  and  others.  Compare 
Acts  xix.  13.  They  therefore  in- 
quire the  origin  of  their  poAver,  and 
what  name  they  used,  treatino-  it  as 
if  it  had  been  a  case  of  exorcism  or 
Avitchcraft,  in  Avhich  an  unlaAvful  or 
diabolical  influence  had  been  used. 
Mat  xii.  24.  The  Jews  pretend  that 
Jesus  wrought  his  miracles  by  getting 
possession  of  the  ineffable  name  of 
God,  deposited  in  the  sanctuary,  and 
usin^  it  as  a  potent  talisman. 

8,^9.  Filled  ivith  the  Holy  Ghost, 
i.  e.  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God.  Mat 
X.   18-20.      That  the  mind  of  the 


m 


THE  ACTS 


[CiiAi?. 


we  this  day  be  examined  of  the  good  deed  done  to  the  impotent 
man,  by  what  means  he  is  made  whole;   be  it  known  unto  you  10 
all,  and  to  all  the  people  of  Israel,  that  by  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Nazareth,  whom  ye  crucified,  whom  God  raised  from 
the  dead,  even  by  him  doth  this  man  stand  here  before  you  whole. 


apostle  was  illuminated  by  wisdom 
from  on  high,  may  be  inferred  from 
the  difference  of  his  conduct  now, 
and  in  the  same  place  on  a  former  oc- 
casion, related  in  Mat.  xxvi.  69  -  75, 
and  the  change  of  his  views  respect- 
ing the  object  of  Christ's  coming. 
Acts  i.  6.  There  is  no  evidence  that 
any  new  descent  of  the  Spirit  came 
upon  him  now ;  but  he  and  his  asso- 
ciates were  constantly  breathing  a 
new  atmosphere  of  life  and  light 
since  the  day  of  Pentecost.  The 
bands  of  ignorance  and  prejudice 
had  dropped  off  forever,  and  tliey 
henceforward  lived,  and  moved,  and 
had  tlieir  being,  in  a  new  world, 
Avliere  they  saw  things  as  they  are. 
They  were  truly  filled  with  the  Holy 
Spirit;  they  Avere  spiritualized  ;  they 
no  longer  dwelt  on  the  ideas  of  tem- 
poral fame  and  power ;  they  saw  the 
sublime  spiritual  realities  of  God's 
kingdom,  and  Avere  true  to  the 
lofty  convictions  of  right  and  duty. 
Thus  elevated  and  illumina-ted,  wliat 
strength,  courage,  boldness,  power, 
and  soundness  of  mind,  they  display, 
compared  with  their  timidity  in  be- 
fore flying,  like  a  flock  of  friohtened 
slieep,"  frovn  the  jaws  of  their  pursu- 
ers !  Now  they  became  truly  "  sons 
of  thunder;"  while  tlieir  hghtnings 
enlightened  the  world,  "  coming 
out  of-tlie  east,  and  shining  even 
unto  the  west" —  Ye  rult7-s  of  the 
people,  and  elders  of  Israel.  While 
lie  thus  address  -s  them  with  the  most 
profound  respect,  he  tacitly  reminds 
them  of  their  great  responsibleness, 
as  actinjy,  not  only  for  themselves, 
but  for  the  nation,  the  chosen  peo- 
ple of  Israel.  They  were  "  a  city 
set  on  a  hill."     It  became  them  to 


do  nothing  unworthy  of  their  higJi 
stations  and  extensive  influence.  — 
The  good  deed  done  to  the  impotent 
man.  Men  are  usually  arraigned  for 
their  evil  deeds  ;  if  we  are  judicially 
examined  for  the  benefit  Ave  con- 
ferred on  one  of  our  suffering  felloAv- 
creatures,  we  are  prepared  to  say  in 
Avhose  authority  Ave  have  done  the 
miracle.  There  is  a  tinge  of  irony 
in  the  ansAver  of  Peter.  —  By  ivhat 
means.  Rather,  "  by  Avhom,"  by 
Avliose  name,  or  authority,  the  cure 
Avas  Avrought. 

10.  Unto  you  all,  ar.d  to  all  the  peo- 
ple of  Israel.  It  Avas  not  a  dec'd  to  be 
ashamed  of  or  hidden  ;  he  Avishcd  it 
might  be  })roclaimed  to  tlie  Avhole 
n-'ition,  in  connexion  Avitli  him  in 
Avhose  nam.G  and  authority  it  Avas 
performed.  —  By  the  name.  The 
rulers  had  asked  them,  "By  Avhat 
name  have  ye  done  this  ?"  Ver.  7. 
The  reply  is  emphatically  put  in  like 
terms  as  the  question.  —  Jesus  Christ 
ofjVazareth.  Every  Avord  carries  Avith 
it  Aveight  and  poAver.  It  Avas  in  the 
name  of  Jesus,  the  Me-siah,  of  Naz- 
areth—  the  most  distinguished  be- 
insf,  originatinof  from  Avhat  they  re- 
garded, in  their  false  estimate  of 
things,  as  the  loAvest  of  places,  out 
of  AA^hich  nothing  good  could  come. 
John  i.  4(i.  —  JVhom  ye  crucfied,  whom 
God  raised,  ^-c.  He  here  vividly 
contrasts,  as  he  did  in  Acts  iii.  13, 
the  manner  in  Avhich  the  Messiah 
Avas  treated  by  his  countrymen,  Avith 
the  manner  of  his  treatment  by  God. 
He  charges  home  upon  tliem,  Avith 
unequalled  boldness,  the  crime  of 
crucifying  the  Messiah.  They  had 
arraigned  the  prisoner  to  try  him  as 
a  violator  of  tlieir  laAvs  ;  but,  lo  I  the 


IV 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


67 


11  This  is  the  stone  which  was  set  at  nought  of  you  builders,  which 

12  is  become  the  head  of  the  corner.     Neither  is  there  salvation  in 
any  other :    for  there  is  none  other  name  under  heaven  given 


tables  are  turned,  and  the  prisoner 
himself  becomes  judge,  and  the  ru- 
lers culprits,  to  answer  to  the  gravest 
charge,  to  the  most  awful  crime,  com- 
mitted against  the  laws  of  the  High- 
est! Peter,  wlio  denied  his  living 
Lord  and  Master,  owns  him  departed, 
and  asserts,  in  the  foce  of  a  Saddu- 
cean  high-priest  and  Sanhedrim,  his 
resurrection  from  the  dead.  Whom 
they  had  killed,  God  had  brought  to 
life ;  whom  tliey  had  raised  on  the 
cross,  God  had  raised  to  heaven.  — 
By  him  doth  this  man  stand.  I  re- 
peat, he  says,  it  was  by  him  that  the 
miracle  was  wrought;  and  tliis  man, 
Avho  never  stood  before  from  the  day 
of  his  birth,  now  stands  before  you 
as  a  living  witness  to  the  truth  of 
rny  statement.  "  The  timid,  treiti- 
liling,  yielding,  vacillating  Simon,  he 
wjio  just  before  was  terrified  by  a 
servant  crirl,  and  who,  on  the  lake, 
■was  afraid  of  sinking,  is  now  trans- 
ibrmed  into  the  manly,  decided,  and 
firm  CepJias,  (rock,)  fearless  before 
the  great  council  of  the  nation,  and, 
in  an  unv»'avering  tone,  asserting  the 
authority  of  him  whom  he  had  just 
before  denied,  and  Avh^an  they  had 
just  before  put  to  death.  Peter  had 
no  worldly  motive  to  actuate  liim. 
Nothing  but  a  conviction  of  the  t7-idh 
could  have  wrought  tiiis  change,  and 
transformed  this  timid  disciple  into  a 
bold  and  uncompromising  apostle." 
Barnes.  Nothing  is  said,  upon  these 
occasions,  of  John,  except  that  he  is 
witli  Peter.  We  can  readily  con- 
ceive how  much  the  more  ardent  and 
hnpetuous  apostle  leaned  for  sympa- 
thy and  support  upon  the  disciple 
whom  Jesus  loved:  and  what  a  silent 
strength  was  shed  into  his  naturally 
wavering  spirit.  Gal.  ii.  '2-14,  from 
tliat  beaming  presence  of  love  and 
of  fortitude,  which,  if  it  dared  less, 


could  bear  more,  and  which  had  stood 
in  the  hall  of  Caiaphas,  and  at  the 
foot  of  the  cross,  when  Peter  had 
quailed  and  fled.  Compare  John 
xviii.  15,  16;  Mat.  xxvi.  75;  John 
xix.  26,  27. 

11.  This  is  the  stone,  S^c.  This  is 
a  quotation  from  Ps.  cxviii.  22,  and 
applied,  by  way  of  illustration,  to  him- 
self by  Jesus,  Mat.  xxi.  42,  as  it  is 
also  here  by  Peter.  The  idea  is, 
that  Jesus,  whom  they  had  rejected, 
w^as  the  true  Messiah.  The  figure 
is  taken  from  architecture,  in  which 
the  builders  lightly  value  at  first  a 
stone,  which  they  afterwards  employ 
as  a  top-stone,  or  coping.  It  is  not 
the  corner-stone  of  the  foundation, 
but  of  the  summit,  which  is  here 
spoken  of,  though  elsewhere  a  simi- 
lar figure  is  used  of  the  stone  at  the 
basis.  Is.  xxviii.  16  ;  Rom.  ix.  33  ; 
£ph.  ii.  20;  1  Peter  ii.  6.  Him 
whom  they  had  denied,  God  liad 
owned  ;  whom  they  had  insulted,  God 
had  honored  ;  whom  they  had  slain, 
God  had  raised  up  to  life;  whom 
they  had  loaded  wdtli  opprobrious 
names,  God  had  honored  with  the 
highest  titles ;  whom  they  had  cast 
aside  as  a  worthless  stone,  God,  the 
supreme  architect,  had  wrought  into 
his  lofty  edifice  as  the  most  con- 
spicuous head  of  the  corner,  to  bind 
the  whole  together,  and  complete  the 
structure. 

12.  Salvation.  Literally,  "  safe- 
ty," "  deliverance."  Two  methods 
of  interpreting  this  passage  prevail ; 
one  limiting  it  to  the  case  of  physi- 
cal, miraculous '  cure  ;  the  other  ex- 
tending it  over  the  whole  ground  of 
spiritual  and  eternal  salvation.  Prob- 
ably, as  a  distinguished  critic  has 
remarked,  the  word  in  the  original 
means,  in  the  first  instance,  restora- 
tion to  health ;  and,  by  a  kind  of  an- 


68 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


among  men,  whereby  we  must  be  saved. Now,  when  they  13 

saw  the  boldness  of  Peter  and  John,  and  perceived  that  they  were 
unlearned   and  ignorant  men,  they   marvelled ;    and   they  took 


tithesis,  which  is  very  common,  is 
afterwards  applied  in  a  more  exten- 
sive sense.  It  is  the  same  word  used 
in  Luke  xix.  9,  and  John  iv.  22,  and 
in  many  other  places,  with  a  similar 
import,  referring  to  spiritual  bless- 
ings. The  idea  of  spiritual  safety 
was  no  doubt  suggested  by  the  res- 
toration of  the  lame  man  to  sound- 
ness ;  but  that  this  verse  is  not  a 
mere  frigid  declaration  of  the  only 
healing  miraculous  power  being  res- 
ident in  Christ,  or  capable  of  being 
invoked  in  his  name,  is  apparent  from 
the  preceding  verse;  in  which  the 
Messiah  is  spoken  of  in  his  highest 
capacity,  as  exalted  by  God  to  the 
summit  of  poAver  and  influence, 
though  rejected  and  crucified  by 
men.  Again,  the  last  part  of  the 
verse,  "  whereby  we  must  be  saved," 
militates  against  the  notion  of  mere 
bodily  cures  being  intended.  The 
whole  forms  a  fitting  conclusion  and 
virtual  exhortation  suitable  at  the 
close  of  his  address.  —  JVone  other 
name.  By  which  is  meant  system, 
faith,  religion.  —  Given.  Or,  "  es- 
tablished." —  Whereby  we  must  he 
saved.  In  the  paraphrase  of  Haynes, 
"  There  is  no  otlier  or  different  way 
of  salvation  than  what  Christ  taught, 
nor  any  '  different  teacher.'  The  way 
of  salvation  is  but  one  ;  and  a  differ- 
ent teacher  must  be  a  false  teacher." 
It  is  not  meant  that  none  are  saved 
of  the  heathen,  or  Muhammedans,  or 
Jews,  or  infants,  that  never  heard  of 
the  Saviour ;  or  that  individuals  of 
these  classes  that  are  saved,  are  saved 
without  their  own  choice  or  knowl- 
edge, by  any  change  which  the  death 
or  mediation  of  Christ  has  worked 
upon  the  fundamental  laws  of  God. 
For  we  are  assured,  on  the  best  au- 
thority,—  that  of  this  apostle  him- 
self, —  that  "  God  is  no  respecter  of 


persons  ;  but,  in  every  nation,  he  that 
feareth  him,  and  worketh  righteous- 
ness, is  accepted  with  him."  Acts 
X.  34,  35.  If  any  man,  in  any  part 
of  the  earth,  has  become,  under  the 
influence  of  nature,  providence,  and 
the  Spirit  of  God,  without  the  Bible 
and  the  Saviour,  holy,  and  just,  and 
true,  in  one  word,  Christ-like,  he  is 
saved ;  he  is  prepared  for  a  future 
state,  for  heaven,  for  the  presence  of 
God  and  the  society  of  Jesus.  He 
has  thus,  without  knowing  it,  become 
a  Christian,  so  far  as  he  could.  There 
is  but  one  kind  of  goodness  in  the 
world ;  and  he  who  possesses  that, 
under  whatever  system,  whose  spir- 
itual nature  and  affections  are  in 
healthy  exercise,  and  whose  aim  is 
heavenward,  is  saved  here  and  here- 
after. This  view  does  not  contra- 
dict in  any  measure  the  text,  when 
fairly  interpreted ;  for  it  is  clearly 
a  general,  not  a  universal,  proposi- 
tion ;  or,  if  universal,  it  is  so  in  the 
sense  of  spiritual  resemblance  to  Je- 
sus, that  all  must  be  saved  by  being 
like  him,  having  his  spirit  It  is 
prospective,  also,  not  retrospective, 
and  signifies  that  Christianity  is  to 
be  the  only  saving  religion  in  the 
world ;  the  great  moral  lever  to  raise 
the  degraded  and  fallen,  the  grand 
agency  of  the  soul's  rescue,  guid- 
ance, and  culture.  Moses  was  su- 
perseded ;  henceforth  mankind  were 
to  date  from  Christ,  as  the  author  of 
a  new  moral  epoch  and  creation,  the 
Adam  of  a.  new  human  species.  John 
xiv.  6  ;  1  Cor.  iii.  11. 

13, 14.  The  boldness  of  Peter  and 
John.  Or,  more  exactly,  "  the  free- 
dom of  speech,"  the  confidence  in 
defending  themselves.  2  Cor.  iv.  13. 
The  apostles  exhibited  no  audacity 
or  irreverence,  but  a  free,  frank,  and 
ready   speech,  and  an  assured  and 


IV.] 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


li  knowledge  of  them,  that  they  had  been  with  Jesus.     And  be- 
holding the   man  which  was   healed  standing  with    them,  they 


unabashed  demeanor,  not  usual  in 
common  persons  who  were  brought 
before  so  august  a  council  as  the 
Sanhedrim.  —  Unlearned  and  igno- 
rant men.  This  is  a  very  unfortunate 
rendering  of  our  translators,  and  rep- 
resents the  apostles  as  inferior  to 
what  they  really  were.  That  they 
were  neither  "  unlearned  "  nor  "  ig- 
norant," in  the  usual  sense  of  those 
words,  is  apparent  from  the  Gospel 
which  one,  and  the  Epistles  Avhich 
both,  wrote ;  from  the  speeches  here 
given ;  from  their  sayings  in  other 
places ;  from  tlie  fact  that  they  had 
been  so  long  under  the  instruction  of 
Chi'ist ;  and  from  the  presumption  that 
they  were  as  well  acquainted  with 
the  sacred  literature  of  their  nation, 
as  the  fidelity  of  parents,  and  the 
general  care  taken  in  this  respect, 
would  make  them.  The  61*81  word 
simply  expresses  the  idea  that  tliey 
were  "  illiterate,"  not  that  they  were 
not  versed  in  the  Scriptures ;  their 
quotations  showed  them  to  be  so  ; 
but  that  they  were  unacquainted  with 
the  rabbinical  lore,  with  the  tradi- 
tions and  Talmuds,  the  oral  law, 
which  had  been  accumulating  for 
ages  around  the  Mosaic  writings, 
and  which  constituted  the  everlast- 
ing study  and  hair-splitting  of  the 
Jewish  schools.  The  scribes  and 
doctors  of  the  law  looked  with  su- 
preme contempt,  John  vji.  49,  up- 
on those  that  Avere  uninitiated  into 
these  endless  mysteries  and  laby- 
rinths of  comments,  and  fables,  and 
sophistries,  by  which  the  traditions 
of  men  had  been  elevated  above  the 
commandments  of  God ;  and  which 
made  more  account  of  tithing  mint, 
and  anise,  and  cumin,  than  of  ob- 
serving judgment,  mercy,  and  faith. 
See  Mat  xi.  25  ;  1  Cor.  i.  27.  Jesus 
and  his  followers  came  to  bring  men 
back  to  the  simple  and  eternal  truths 


of  God's  kingdom  ;  and,  though  pos- 
sessed of  tliis  highest  and  best  of  all 
knowledge,  they  were  called  "  illit- 
erate," because  they  had  not  received 
the  education  of  sophists  and  casu- 
ists. Mat.  xiii.  54  ;  John  vii.  15, 1(). 
The  other  term,  "ignorant,"  is,  in 
the  original,  "common  men,"  ren- 
dered, by  Luther,  Cranmer,  and  Tyn- 
dale,  "  lay  men  "  or  persons.  Refer- 
ence is  simply  made  to  the  private, 
unofficial  stations  of  Peter  and  John. 
Thoy  held  no  civil  or  ecclesiastical 
office,  yet  presumed  to  work  mira- 
cles and  teach  the  people  :  this  was, 
in  the  eyes  of  wise  scribes  and  law- 
yers, contraiy  to  all  precedent  and 
propriety.  —  Took  knowledge.  Or, 
"  recognized."  They  first  marvelled, 
and  tlieir  w^onder  stimulated  their 
recollection  or  perception.  —  Thai 
they  had  been  iviih  Jesus.  "  Had 
been  his  companions  and  adherents." 
They  recognized  tlie  source  of  their 
power  in  him  Avho  had  been  their 
Master  and  Teacher.  —  The  man 
ivhich  loas  healed  standing.  The  last 
word  is  emphatic ;  he  stood  before 
them,  having  been  completely  cured 
of  his  lameness.  This  r/as  now  the 
second  day,  and  the  cure  still  held 
good,  and  there  was  no  relapse.  — 
Could  say  nothing  against  it.  Could 
not  gainsay  or  deny  it  Ver.  16 ;  Acts 
xix.  3().  This  is  important  testimo- 
ny. But,  though  they  could  not  re- 
fute the  argument  of  Peter  intellect- 
ually, their  hearts  Vv-ere  hardened,  that 
they  'Would  not  believe  in  the  divine 
origin  and  right  of  Jesus  as  tlie  Mes- 
siah. Prejudice  and  pride  prevent- 
ed them  from  bowing  to  the  lowly 
Nazarene.  Barnes  remarks,  that, 
though  the  apostles  were  "  not  taught 
in  the  schools,  yet  there  was  an  im- 
portant sense  in  which  they  were  not 
unlearned  and  ignorant  men.  Their 
example   should   not,  tlierefore,  be 


70 


THE   ACTS 


[Chap. 


could  say  nothing  against  it.  .  But  when  they  had  commanded  15 
them  to  go  aside  out  of  the  council,  they  conferred  among  them- 
selves, saying,  What  shall  we  do  to  these  men  ?    for  that  indeed  16 
a  notable  miracle  hath  been  done  by  them  is  manifest  to  all  them 
that  dwell  in  Jerusalem,  and   we  cannot  deny  it.     But   that  it  17 
spread  no  further  among  the  people,  let  us  straitly  threaten  them, 
that  they  speak  henceforth  to  no  man  in  this  name.     And  they  18 
called  them,  and  commanded  them  not  to  speak  at  ail,  nor  teach 


pleaded  in  favor  of  an  unlearned 
ministry.  Christ  himself  expressed 
his  opposition  to  an  unlearned  min- 
istry, by  teaching  them  himself,  and 
then  by  bestowing  on  them  miracu- 
lous endowments,  which  no  learning 
at  present  can  furnish.  It  may  be 
remarked,  further,  that,  in  the  single 
selection  which  he  made  of  an  apos- 
tle after  his  ascension  to  heaven, 
when  he  came  to  choose  one  who 
had  not  been  under  his  personal 
teaching,  he  chose  a  learned  man, 
the  apostle  Paul,  and  thus  evinced 
his  purpose  that  there  should  be 
training,  or  education,  in  those  who 
are  invested  with  the  sacred  of- 
fice." 

35,  16.  Commanded  them  to  go 
aside.  To  enjoy  greater  opportunity 
and  freedom  to  deliberate  together, 
as  to  the  best  management  of  the  af- 
fair. This  was  customary  in  courts, 
where,  after  an  ambassador  had  giv- 
en his  message,  he  was  requested  to 
withdraw  for  a  time,  until  the  coun- 
cillors could  confer  together  and 
come  to  a  decision.  —  Council.  In 
the  original,  "  Sanhedrim  ; "  the  tech- 
nical name  for  the  Jewish  council  of 
seventy,  used  here,  however,  rather 
as  the  place  of  their  meeting,  the 
council-chamber.  —  What  shall  we 
do.  They  were  in  a  dilemma,  as 
men  always  are  when  they  are  in 
the  wrong.  John  xi.  47.  They 
could  not  deny,  and  they  ivoidd  not 
acknowledge,  the  cure  that  had  been 
performed,  and  the  conclusion  to 
which  it  irresistibly  led,  of  die  truth 


and  authority  of  Jesus  as  the  Mes- 
siah. They  Avished,  therefore,  to 
hush  up  the  matter,  terrify  the  preach- 
ers into  silence,  and  get  over  the  dif- 
ficulty in  the  easiest  way  possible.  — 
JVotable  miracle,  i.  e.  a  miracle  well 
known,  published  abroad.  It  was 
spread  through  the  city.  Every  body 
had  heard  of  it.  —  We  cannot  deny  it. 
It  was  in  vain,  therefore,  for  them, 
wise  and  influential  as  they  were,  to 
attempt  to  discredit  so  plain  a  matter 
of  fact.  If  the  people  were  igno- 
rant of  their  curious  learning,  yet 
tliey  could  not  be  cheated  out  of 
the  testimony  of  tlieir  own  senses. 
They  had  seen  and  known  the  lame 
man,  and  they  now  beheld  him  re- 
stored. These  facts  were  too  stub- 
born to  be  winked  out  of  sight. 

17,  18.  That  it  spread  no  further 
among  the  people.  They  were  anx- 
ious that  the  doctrine,  in  further- 
ance of  which  the  miracle  had  been 
wrought,  should  be  stayed  from  wi- 
der progress  among  the  people,  over 
whom  they  professed  to  hold  supreme 
jurisdiction.  How  utterly  vain,  how 
childishly  weak  and  wicked,  such  a 
plan!  that  the  gospel  spread  no 
further  among  the  people !  tliat  tlie 
rising  sun  go  down  in  the  east !  How 
little  had  they  computed  the  re- 
sources of  the  truth  and  its  destiny ! 
what  blind  guides  to  the  people  Avhom 
they  pretended  to  lead!  Has  not 
this  history,  in  its  essential  features, 
been  repeated  since,  and  man  vainly 
and  madly  sought  to  stifle  the  con- 
victions of  duty,  and  stop  tiie  diffu- 


IV.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


71 


19  in  the  name  of  Jesus.     But  Peter  and  John  answered  and  said 
unto  them,  Whether  it  be  right  in  the  sight  of  God  to  hearken 

20  unto  you  more  than  unto  God,  judge  ye.     For  we  cannot  but 


sion  of  Hght  ?  Such  eftbrts  may  be 
successful  for  a  time  ;  but 

"  Truth,  crushed  to  earth,  shall  rise  again  ; 

'i'he  eternal  years  of  God  are  hers  ; 

While  Error,  wounded,  writhes  in  pain, 

And  dies  amidst  her  \vorshii)per8." 

—  Straitly  threaten.  A  Hebraism, 
literally  rendered  "  threaten  with  a 
threat,"  and  expressing  intensity  of 
meaning.  —  JVot  to  speak  at  all,  nor 
teach,  in  the  name  of  Jesiis.  They 
forbade  them  from  proclaiming  in 
any  way  the  name  and  authority  of 
Jesus,  or  using  it  amon^  the  people 
at  all,  even  to  work  a  miracle  and  a 
cure. 

19,  20.  Whether  it  he  right  in  the 
sight  of  God,  ^c.  The  principle  on 
which  they  act  they  are  ready  to 
submit  to  their  judges  themselves, 
for  they  felt  assured  that  they  could 
not  impugn  its  validity.  They  were 
the  servants  of  God,  not  of  man. 
They  had  been  chosen  to  go  forth 
on  an  important  mission  to  the  world. 
They  had  been  the  bosom  compan- 
ions of  the  Messiah,  and  received 
his  command  to  preach  his  gospel, 
and  feed  the  flock.  They  had  been 
endued  with  a  spiritual  influence  to 
qualify  them  yet  further  for  their 
work.  Should  tliey  pause,  turn  back, 
and  obey  the  command  of  man,  to 
give  up  this  enterprise  ?  There  could 
be  no  doubt  respecting  their  duty, 
and  by  that  they  intimate  they  shall 
abide,  come  Avhat  Avill.  They  had 
once  fled ;  but  they  flee  no  more ; 
their  minds  are  made  up,  and  they 
are  ready  to  do  and  suffer  all  in  be- 
half of  their  Master.  The  avowal 
of  their  principles  is  still  more  ex- 
plicit in  Acts  V.  29.  The  commen- 
tators quote  from  heatlien  philoso- 
pliers,  expressions  breathing  a  kin- 
dred spirit,  as  if  the  duty  was  so 
plain  as  to  be  visible   even  in  the 


light  of  nature.  Thus  Socrates  said 
to  his  judges,  "  I  embrace  and  love 
you,  O  ye  Athenians,  but  I  will  obey 
God  rather  than  you."  Thus,  too, 
Arrian  enjoined,  "  When  thy  supe- 
riors command  thee  any  thing,  thou 
must  remember  there  is  One  above 
who  sees  thee,  and  that  thou  ought- 
est  rather  to  please  him  than  man." 
In  things  lawful  and  innocent,  it  is 
not  only  right,  but  a  duty,  to  obey 
the  magistrate ;  but  in  things  un- 
lawful, and  clashing  with  the  will  of 
God,  it  is  equally  right  and  a  duty  to 
obey  God  rather  than  man.  "  It  is  a 
rule  in  the  common  law  of  England, 
that  if  any  statute  be  made  contra- 
ry to  the  law  of  God,  it  is  null  and 
void."  It  ought  to  be  the  rule  of  ev- 
ery land.  No  nation  can  prosper,  or 
even  be  a  nation,  that  sets  human 
legislation  above  the  everlasting  laws 
of  God.  The  first  question  is,  what 
is  right ;  the  second,  what  is  expe- 
dient. What  is  right  will  necessa- 
rily be  expedient,  in  the  grand  issue ; 
but  what  seems,  to  the  short-sighted 
vision  of  man,  expedient  for  the  time 
being,  may  not  be  right.  There  is 
danger  of  sometimes  mistaking  what 
the  will  of  God  is,  what  is  right,  and 
confounding  the  dictates  of  our  own 
passions  with  the  intimations  of  con- 
science and  the  voice  of  the  Almigh- 
ty. It  is  therefore  needful  to  enlight- 
en, as  well  as  to  obey,  conscience.  — 
JVe  cannot  but  speak  the  things,  S^c. 
Necessity  was  laid  upon  them  to 
preach  the  gospel.  They  must  speak 
or  die.  Truths  were  struggling  with- 
in for  utterance — truths  which  they 
had  been  commissioned  to  proclaim ; 
truths  vital  to  the  interests  and  sal- 
vation of  a  sinful  world.  They  were 
chosen  to  be  witnesses  to  the  great 
facts  of  the  life,  death,  and  resurrec- 
tion, of  Jesus,  and   they  could  not 


72 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


speak  the  things  which  we  have  seen  and  heard.     So,  when  they  21 
had  further  threatened  them,  they  let  them  go,  finding  nothing 
how  they  might  punish  them,  because  of  the  people :  for  all  men 
glorified  God  for  that  which  was  done.     For  the  man  was  above  22 
forty  years  old  on  whom  this  miracle  of  healing  was  showed. 

And  being  let  go,  they  went  to  their  own  company,  and  report-  23 
ed  all  that  the  chief-priests  and  elders  had  said  unto  them.     And  24 
when  they  heard  that,  they  lift  up  their  voice  to  God  with  one 
accord,  and  said,  Lord,  thou  art  God,  which  hast  m.ade  heaven. 


prove  "  disobedient  unto  the  heaven- 
ly vision."  1  Cor.  ix.  16.  However 
much  they  respected  tlie  authority  of 
the  Sanhedrim,  they  plainly  intimat- 
ed that  they  should  disregard  their 
commands,  in  consideration  of  the 
higher  law  of  tlie  Eternal. 

21.  Further  threatened  them.  The 
Sanhedrim,  seeing  tlie  purpose  of 
their  prisoners,  and  judging  them  to 
be  contumacious,  add  yet  further 
threatenings,  and  then  dismiss  them. 
—  Finding  nothing  how  they  might 
punish  them.  Finding  no  way  to 
proceed  against  them,  as  they  had 
violated  no  law,  and  as  the  sympa- 
thy of  the  people  was  enlisted  in 
their  favor.  —  Because  of  the  people. 
"  The  common  people  heard  Jesus 
gladly,"  and  they  were  in  general 
much  more  open  to  conviction  than 
the  learned  and  powerful  of  tlie  na- 
tion. Their  favor  repeatedly  be- 
friended both  Jesus  and  his  apostles, 
and  stayed  the  uplifted  arm  of  vio- 
lence. But  they  were  fickle-mind- 
ed ;  and  when  they  had  shouted  ho- 
sannas  one  day,  they  would,  perhaps, 
cry.  Crucify  him,  the  next.  Mat.  xxi. 
26,  xxvi.  5 ;  Acts  v.  26.  —  Glorified 
God,  S^-c.  They  referred  the  cure  of 
the  cripple  to  its  true  source,  in  God, 
who  had  given  such  power  to  men. 
The  better  feelings  of  their  nature 
praised  and  reverenced  so  v»onder- 
ful  and  beneficent  a  deed ;  and  the 
rulers  feared  to  inflict  on  Peter  and 
John  what  their  hearts  prompted  of 
wrong  and  cruelty. 


22.  ^hove  forty  years  old.  This 
fact  was  not  stated  before,  but  it 
comes  in  here  incidentally,  to  show 
that  one  cause  of  the  devout  praise 
of  the  people  was  the  cure  of  the 
lameness ;  after  it  had  proved  so  in- 
veterate and  hopeless,  and  their  sym- 
pathies had  been  so  lono-  called  forth 
towards  the  poor  helpless  sufferer, 
laid,  as  he  was,  to  beg  in  a  public 
place. 

23.  TJiey  ivent  to  their  oivn  com- 
pany. Or,  "  to  their  own  associates," 
or  friends ;  probably  to  the  twelve, 
or  to  the  one  hundred  and  twenty.  — 
The  chief-pi'iests  and  elders.  As  tlie 
great  council  was  composed  chiefly 
of  these  classes  of  men,  their  names 
often  stand  for  the  Sanliedrim  itself. 
Peter  and  John  naturally  resort  for 
sympathy  and  guidance  to  the  cir- 
cle of  fellow-believers  and  fellow- 
laborers,  and  report  their  affairs  and 
dangers. 

24.  Lift  {for  « lifted,")  —  «'?7A  one 
accord.  Probably  one  led  the  ser- 
vice, and  the  rest  joined  witli  one 
heart  and  mind.  If  there  were  ene- 
mies without,  there  was  concord 
within.  —  Lord,  thou  art  God,  %-c. 
Their  prayer  was  addressed  to  God. 
They  did  not  follow  any  previous 
form  of  devotion,  but  took  one 
adapted  to  the  feelings  and  wants 
of  the  occasion.  Their  invocation 
of  tlic  Sovereign  of  the  creation,  and 
rising  to  tlie  thought  of  Him,  as  the 
Maker,  Proprietor,  and  Disposer  of 
all  worlds  and  beings,  was  beautifully 


IV.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


73 


25  and  earth,  and  the  sea,  and  all  that  in  them  is ;  who,  by  the  mouth 
of  thy  servant  David,  hast  said,  Why  did  the  heathen  rage,  and 

2G  the  people  imagine  vain  things  ?  The  kings  of  the  earth  stood 
up,  and  the  rulers  were  gathered  together  against  the  Lord,  and 

27  against  his  Christ.  For  of  a  truth  against  thy  holy  child  Jesus, 
whom  thou  hast  anointed,  both  Herod,  and  Pontius  Pilate,  with 
the  Gentiles,  and  the  people  of  Israel,  were  gathered  together, 

28  for  to  do  whatsoever  thy  hand  and  thy  counsel  determined  before 


adapted  to  soothe  and  sustain  their 
hearts  under  their  severe  trials. 
They  were  in  the  hands  of  the  Al- 
mighty. He  would  do  what  was  right 
and  best.  All  things  wore  at  his  dis- 
posal, and  his  sei-vants  need  not  fear. 
25,  26.  Thy  servant  David,  Ps. 
ii.  1,  2.  This  identifies  David  as  the 
author  of  the  Psalm.  —  The  heathen 
rage.  A  figure,  in  the  original,  taken 
from  the  neighing  and  impatience 
of  horses.  This  P^lm  is  supposed 
to  have  been  composed  during  the 
hostility  of  surrounding  heathen 
nations,  the  Moabites,  the  Philis- 
tines, and  Amalekites ;  and  is  ap- 
plicable, by  accommodation,  to  the 
persecution  of  Christ  and  his  apos- 
tles by  the  Jews,  who,  in  this  in- 
stance, occupied  the  place  of  the 
heathen,  in  conjunction  with  Herod, 
Pilate,  and  the  Romans.  —  Imagine 
vain  things.  Or,  "  meditate  or  pur- 
pose vain  counsels."  For  their  plans 
against  infinite  Power  and  Wisdom 
would  necessarily  prove  futile.  The 
Psalmist  remonstrates  with  them  on 
tlie  folly  of  the  attempt  to  fight 
against  God  and  his  anointed  King. 
—  Stood  up,  i.  e.  stood  side  by  side, 
or  banded  together  for  mutual  help. 
We  have  in  these  two  verses  an  ex- 
ample of  Hebrew  parallelism  in  poe- 
try ;  the  last  clause  in  a  sentence  or 
verse  conveying  the  same  idea  as 
the  former,  with  a  slightly  varied 
expression.  —  The  Lord,  i.  e.  Jeho- 
vah, God.  —  His  Christ.  INIore  prop- 
erly rendered,  "  his  Anointed,"  as  in 
the  Psalm  itself,  where  the  Septua- 
voL.  ni.  7 


gint  version  reads,  "  his  Christ,"  the 
Greek  noun  meaning  Anointed,  of 
which  the  verb  is  given  in  the  suc- 
ceeding verse,  "  whom  thou  hast 
anointed."  David  was  consecrated 
as  king  by  Samuel,  anointing  him 
with  oil  in  the  midst  of  his  brethren, 
1  Sam.  xvi.  13,  tlie  customary  rite  of 
inducting  priests,  prophets,  and  kings, 
into  their  office.  Hence,  though  Je- 
sus was  never  literally  anointed,  he 
was  appropriately  termed  the  Christ, 
the  Anointed ;  as  being  sanctified  by 
God  as  a  spiritual  king  and  prophet 
to  his  people  and  to  the  world. 

27,  28.  Thy  holy  child  Jesus. 
Translated  properly  by  some,  "  thy 
holy  servant."  —  JVhom  thou  hast 
anointed.  Or, "  set  apart "  to  the  oflSce 
of  teacher  and  Saviour.  Messiah,  in 
Hebrew,  and  Christ,  in  Greek,  mean 
Anointed.  —  Herod.  Tetrarch  of  Gal- 
ilee, sometimes  designated  as  king. 
Luke  iii.  1 ;  Mark  vi.  14.  He  was 
in  Jerusalem  at  the  time  of  Jesus' 
trial,  who  was  sent  to  him  by  Pon- 
tius Pilate,  in  the  hope  of  shifting 
the  responsibility  of  condemnation 
fi-om  himself  upon  another.  Luke 
xxiii.  7,  11.  —  Pontius  Pilate.  He 
was  the  procurator  of  Judea  at  that 
time,  and,  by  his  unwilling  sentence, 
pronounced  the  doom  of  crucifixion. 
M;)t.  xxvii.  24,  26.  Thus  it  might 
be  appropriately  said,  that  "  kings 
and  rulers  "  had  united  against  the 
x\nointed  of  the  Lord.  —  Gentiles, 
i.  e.  Romans,  whose  soldiers  were 
the  executioners.  —  The  people  of 
Israel  Who,  instigated  by  the  elders 


74 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


to  be  done.     And  now,  Lord,  behold  their  threatenings :   and  29 
grant  unto  thy  servants,  that  with  all  boldness  they  may  speak 
thy  word,  by  stretching  forth  thy  l^and  to  heal ;   and  that  signs  30 
and  wonders  may  be  done  by  the  name  of  thy  holy  child  Jesus. 

And  when  they  had  prayed,  the  place  was  shaken  where  31 

they  were  assembled  together ;   and  they  were  all  filled  with  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  they  spake  the  word  of  God  with  boldness. 


and  chief-priests,  had  demanded,  with 
loud  outcries,  the  death  of  the  Mes- 
siah. Thus  "the  heathen  and  the 
people  "  conspired  against  the  Lord 
and  against  his  Christ.  —  Gatliered 
together.  Griesbach  adds,  from  many 
authorities,  "in  this  city."  This 
great  wickedness  had  even  been 
done  in  the  holy  city  itself,  the 
city  of  God  upon  Mount  Zion.  — 
Thy  hand  and  thy  counsel  determin- 
ed before.  Or,  to  adopt  the  par- 
aphrase of  Newcome,  "thy  power 
and  tliy  counsel,  thy  powerful  coun- 
sel," determined  before.  Peter  says 
this  to  obviate  the  objection  made 
against  a  suffering,  crucified  Mes- 
siah. It  had  been  so  willed  by  God, 
though  the  actors  unconsciously  per- 
fonned  their  part  in  fulfilling  the  di- 
vine purpose,  and  were  to  be  ab- 
solved from  none  of  the  guilt  of 
their  bad  motives.  Gen.  1.  20.  See 
notes  on  Acts  ii.  23,  and  iii.  18. 

29,  30.  Behold  their  threatenings. 
Render  them  futile,  look  upon  tliem 
to  frustrate  their  evil  counsels.  He 
here  refers  to  the  menaces  of  the 
Sanhedrim  in  ver.  17,  2L — That 
with  all  boldness,  S^-c.  With  all  free- 
dom of  speech,  the  same  expression 
as  used  in  ver.  13.  They  prayed  not 
that  tJiey  might  be  revenged  upon 
his  enemies,  not  that  they  might  be 
delivered  from  danger  and  suffering ; 
but  their  single  and  heroic  petition 
is,  that  they  may  prove  adequate  to 
their  gre"at  and  glorious  office  of 
preaching  the  truth  to  the  world ; 
and  that  God  would  follow  it  with 
those    signs    and     miracles    which 


would  seal  it  with  a  divine  sanction. 
—  Stretching  forth  thy  hand  to  heal, 
i.  e.  exerting  thy  divine  power  to 
heal.  The  image  is  taken  from  the 
act  of  stretching  out  the  hand  to 
confer  a  favor  or  blessing,  or  to 
guide  one.  —  Signs  and  wonders. 
Hebraism  for  "Avonderful  signs," 
miracles,  which  were  the  unanswer- 
able arguments  that  God  was  with 
them.— Holy  child  Jesus.  See  note  on 
ver.  27.  The  word  rendered  "  child  " 
would  be  more  properly  translated 
"  sen'ant,"  as  the  same  word  is  in 
ver.  25,  where  it  is  applied  to  David. 
Not  that  the  English  is  improper, 
except  as  a  translation  ;  it  is  not  en- 
tirely faithful  here  to  the  original. 
Jesus  ivas  the  holy  child  and  Son  of 
God,  but  different  words  are  else- 
where used  to  convey  the  idea.  Can 
we  read  this  beautiful  and  lofty  strain 
of  supplication,  and  not  feel  how 
good  and  how  strengthening  it  is  to 
pray  —  to  pray  in  union  with  our 
friends  —  and  when  danger  and  per- 
plexity are  around  us,  to  turn  our 
faces  heavenward,  and  behold  there 
the  glory  and  goodness  of  Him  that 
sitteth  above  all !  How  strange  that 
we  should  be  willing  to  struggle  on 
alone,  when  such  a  Helper,  such  a 
Defender  and  Comforter,  is  nigh ! 

"  O,  sweet  it  is  to  know,  to  feel. 

In  all  our  gloom,  our  wanderings  here, 
No  night  of  sorrow  can  conceal 

Man  from  thy  notice,  from  thy  care." 

31.  The  place  was  shaken.  At  the 
conclusion  of  their  prayer,  the  place 
of  their  meeting  was  agitated  by  an 
earthquake,  or  some  other  commotion 


IV.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


75 


32  And  the  multitude  of  them  that  believed  were  of  one  heart, 
and  of  one  soul :  neither  said  ^ny  of  them  that  aught  of  tlie  things 
which  he  possessed  was  his  own ;   but  they  had  all  things  coni- 


of  the  elements,  as  a  sensible  token 
of  the  answer  and  favor  of  God.  So, 
in  Acts  ii.  2,  3,  there  are  exter- 
nal manifestations  of  the  descent  of 
the  Spirit  of  God,  fitted  to  impress, 
through  the  senses,  the  soul.  The 
approach  of  God,  or  an  unusual  com- 
munication of  his  power,  is  often 
represented,  in  the  Old  Testament, 
under  the  image  of  an  earthcjuake  or 
other  striking  exhibition  of  power 
in  the  outward  creation.  Even  the 
heathen,  according  to  Virgil,  deemed 
an  earthquake  a  sign  of  the  favor  of 
the  Deity,  under  some  circumstances. 
Acts  xvi.  25,  26.  —  They  ivere  all 
filed  with  the  Holy  Ghost.  Bloom- 
field  remarks  that  we  must  not  take 
Ghost  or  Spirit  here  in  a  personal 
sense.  It  is  the  influence  of  the 
Spirit  of  God.  In  the  language  of 
Lardner,  "  There  was  a  fresh  effusion 
upon  them  of  knowledge,  power,  and 
comfort;  whereby  they  were  assured 
of  their  being  enabled  to  do  every 
thing  needful  to  confirm  the  truth  of 
Christ's  resurrection."  Accordingly, 
it  is  said  tliere,  at  ver.  33,  "  And 
witli  great  power  gave  the  apostles 
witness  of  the  resurrection  of  the 
Lord  Jesus."  It  would  seem  that 
they  had  now  a  better  understanding 
of  truths  before  revealed.  —  They 
spake  the  icord  of  God  tenth  boldness, 
i.  e.  with  freedom  and  frankness  of 
speech.  See  remarks  on  ver.  13,  29. 
Their  prayer  was  answered,  and  they 
were  inspired  to  rise  above  the  fears 
and  menaces  of  their  enemies,  and 
faithfully  discharge  their  hio-h  office 
of  proclaiming  the  truth.  Mark  xi. 
23,  24  ;  James  v.  16. 

32.  The  Multitude  of  them.  Now 
amounting  to  several  thousands,  ver. 
4,  and  daily  increasing.  Acts  ii.  47. 
—  Of  one  heart  and  of  one  soul. 
Acts  iL  42.     These  words  describe 


their  love  and  union  in  the  strongest 
manner.  They  were  animated  with 
those  noble  sentiments  of  love  to 
God,  and  love  to  man,  which  make 
of  one  spirit  all  who  receive  them  in 
their  fulness  and  purity.  The  an- 
cients give  several  illustrations  of 
the  unity  of  mind  produced  by  friend- 
ship. The  Jews  describe  two  friends 
as  one  man.  Aristotle,  being  a.-ked 
■what  is  a  friend,  replied,  "  one  soul 
dwelling  in  two  bodies."  Plutarch 
quotes  an  ancient  sentence  of  the 
same  purport,  "  two  friends,  one  soul." 
Ovid  speaks  of  those  "  who,  two  in 
body,  were  one  in  mind."  If  any 
thing  could  exceed  the  convincing 
argument  afforded  by  the  miracles  in 
support  of  Christianity,  it  is  its  moral 
power  in  moulding,  humanizing,  and 
sanctifying  the  hearts  of  its  converts. 
—  That  aught  of  the  things,  8{c. 
Used  in  illustration  of  their  warm 
sympathy  for  one  another,  ratlier 
than  as  a  literal  expression  that  all 
the  landmarks  of  property  were  en- 
tirely removed.  — They  had  all  things 
common.  In  use,  rather  than  in  pos- 
session. See  notes  on  Acts  ii.  44, 
45,  where  the  picture  of  the  early 
church  is  colored  with  the  same 
beautiful  hues,  as  in  the  present  pas- 
sage. They  testify  practically  their 
love  to  one  another  by  yielding  up 
their  property  for  the  general  good, 
and  disregarding  their  own  rights 
of  possession  in  their  readiness  to 
relieve  and  bless  all.  Riches  bo- 
came  a  secondary  consideration,  in 
comparison  with  the  glorious  truths 
and  interests  of  their  divine  Master. 
Mat.  xix,  21.  Their  example,  in  its 
spirit,  if  not  in  its  letter,  is  especially 
Avorthy  of  being  followed  in  this  age ; 
w^hen  so  many  make  haste  to  be 
rich,  and  violate  the  laws  of  God 
and  man   in  their  unholy  schemes ; 


76 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


mon.     And  with  great  power  gave  the  apostles  witness  of  the  33 
resurrection  of  the  Lord  Jesus :   and  great  grace  was  upon  them 
all.     Neither   was  there  any  among  them  that  lacked  :    for  as  M 
many   as   were   possessors  of  lands  or  houses  sold  them,  and 
brought  the  prices  of  the  things  that  were  sold,  and  laid  them  35 
down  at  the  apostles'  feet :  and  distribution  was  made  unto  every 

man    according   as  he  had  need. And  Joses,  who  by  the  36 

apostles  was  surnamed  Barnabas,  (which  is,  being  interpreted, 
The  son  of  consolation,)  a  Levite,  and  of  the  country  of  Cyprus, 


and  when  the  rust  of  gold  and  silver 
has  eaten  into  the  heart  and  flesh  of 
Christian  piety  itself. 

33.  fVith  great  power  gave  the 
apostles  ivitness,  ^"C.  Both  by  their 
preaching  and  miracles.  Ver.  31 ; 
Acts  ii.  43.  —  The  resurrection,  &fc. 
This  is  the  key-stone  of  the  gospel. 
By  confirming  this,  they  gave  power 
and  stability  to  the  whole  edifice  of 
doctrines  and  promises,  which  the 
Master  Builder  had  erected.  In  par- 
ticular, they  prostrated  the  system 
of  the  Sadducees,  a  species  of  half 
infidelity,  Avhich  had  then  risen  to 
authority,  and  sat  in  the  seat  of 
Moses.  Acts  xxiii.  8.  For  they 
could  not  only  reason  on  the  subject; 
but  could  assert,  without  fear  of  con- 
tradiction, and  on  the  testimony  of 
hundreds  of  witnesses,  the  memora- 
ble fact,  that  Jesus  had  personally 
risen  from  the  tomb,  and  appeared 
among  the  living.  —  Great  grace  ivas 
upon  them  all.  Or,  "  great  favor  was 
upon  them  all,"  or  all  were  held  in 
great  favor.  The  repute  in  which 
they  were  viewed  by  the  people  is 
here  probably  intended,  not  the 
blessings  bestoAved  on  them  by  God. 
Compare  Acts  ii.  47.  Their  broth- 
erly love,  their  ardent  piety,  and 
their  superiority  to  the  world,  gained 
the  favorable  regard  of  the  people  at 
large,  despite  the  hostility  of  the 
elders  and  rulers.  How  rapid  and 
triumphant  would  have  been  the 
progress  of  Christianity  over  the 
world,  had  this  ancient  excellence 


continued  to  diffuse  its  sweet  savor 
among  the  followers  of  Jesus ! 

34,  35.  That  lacked.  That  was 
reduced  to  indigence  and  distress. 
The  reason  w^hy  none  were  thus  un- 
fortunate is  assigned  beloAv,  viz., 
that  the  more  wealthy  sold  their  pos- 
sessions and  deposited  the  proceeds 
in  a  common  stock.  —  ^s  many 
as.  Better,  according  to  Bloomfield, 
"  such  as ; "  not  that  all  necessarily 
did  it;  but  such,  in  general,  as  were 
possessors  of  property,  sold  it  for 
distribution.  —  Laid  them  doivn  at 
the  apostles'  feet,  i.  e.  placed  the  price 
at  the  disposal  of  tlie  apostles ;  who 
naturally  acted  as  the  economical,  as 
well  as  the  religious,  heads  of  the 
new  community  until  a  further  or- 
ganization, which  soon  took  place, 
was  made.  How  wide  the  contrast 
between  the  spirit  now  seen,  and 
that  of  him  who  but  a  short  time 
before  sold  the  Master  himself  into 
the  hands  of  his  enemies,  at  the  price 
of  a  common  slave  !  May  Heaven 
save  us  from  selling  our  principles 
and  souls  for  money  ;  but  rather  give 
us  that  self-forgetting  benevolence, 
as  well  as  stainless  honesty,  which 
casts  at  the  feet  of  the  Lord  the  pro- 
ceeds of  our  industry  and  fortunes, 
to  be  disposed  of  as  shall  seem  to 
him  best  for  the  good  of  the  suffer- 
ing, and  the  hungry,  and  the  friend- 
less ! —  ./?5  he  had  need.  The  just 
and  beneficpnt  rule  of  distribution. 

3C),  37.  Barnabas.  A  further  ac- 
count is  given  of  this  individual  in 


v.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


77 


37  having  land,  sold  itj  and  brought  the  money,  and  laid  it  at  the 
apostles'  feet. 

CHAPTER   V. 

The  Death  of  Ananias  and  Sapphira ;  the  Rescue  of  the  Apostles  from  Prison, 
and  their  Trial  before  the  Jewish  Council,  and  Release,  after  Uie  Speech  of 
Gamaliel. 

IjUT  a  certain  man  named  Ananias,  with  Sapphira  his  wife. 


succeeding  portions  of  the  history. 
Acts  ix.  27,  xi.  22,  25 ;  and  else- 
where ;  for  commentators  have  not 
hesitated  to  identify  the  Barnabas 
here  mentioned  with  the  companion 
of  Paul.  His  benevolence  here  was 
a  fitting  germ  to  his  noble  devotion 
in  a  wider  field  of  travelling,  preach- 
ing, and  confirming  the  churches. 
"The  son  of  consolation,"  perhaps 
of  a  milder  and  softer  temperament, 
he  formed  an  appropriate  associate 
with  the  ardent  and  indomitable 
Paul ;  as  did  the  beloved  John  with 
the  hasty  and  impetuous  Peter. — 
Being  interpreted.  This  indicates 
the  adaptation  of  this  history  to  for- 
eigners, rather  than  to  Jews,  to 
whom  the  explanation  would  have 
been  unnecessary.  —  The  son  of  con- 
solation. Rendered  by  others,  "of 
exhortation,"  or  preaching,  implying 
that  he  was  distinguished  in  that 
capacity ;  which  was  not  inconsistent, 
indeed,  with  his  being  a  "  son  of 
consolatioiL"  —  A  Levite.  One  of 
the  tribe  of  Levi,  the  son  of  Jacob, 
which  was  set  apart  to  the  sacred 
office  among  the  Joavs.  Num.  iii. 
Deut  xviii.  6-8.  They  were  to 
have  no  inheritance,  for  the  Lord 
was  their  inheritance.  They  re- 
ceived, however,  forty-eight  cities  in 
different  parts  of  the  land.  Num. 
XXXV.  2-8,  and  they  could  purchase 
and  hold  landed  property,  as  in  the 
case  of  Jer.  xxxii.  6-9.  —  Cyprus. 
The  largest  island  in  the  Mediterra- 
nean Sea,  lying  in  the  eastern  part, 
extremely  fertile,  and  celebrated  for 
its  worship  of  tlie  heathen  sfoddess 
7# 


Venus.  It  abounded  in  wine,  oil, 
and  honey,  but  its  inhabitants  were 
indolent  and  sensual.  Dion  Cassiua 
states  that  the  Jews  were  very  nu- 
merous in  this  island.  Acts  xiii.  4, 
XV.  39,  xxvii.  4.  —  Sold  it,  ^c.  Mat. 
X.  9,  10.  His  case  is  mentioned  ap- 
parently as  one  example  of  many, 
only  the  more  remarkable,  as  he 
afterwards  became  a  distinguished 
teacher  of  the  gospel  in  conjunction 
with  Paul.  See  notes  on  ver.  34,  35. 
We  notice  in  this  chapter,  —  (L) 
The  paramount  importance  of  tlie 
resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ  from  the 
dead,  in  the  preaching  of  the  apostles. 
Ver.  2, 10, 33.  Has  it  the  same  prom- 
inence in  modern,  as  it  had  in  an- 
cient, preaching  ?  ( 2.)  The  courage 
of  the  apostles  in  proclaiming  un- 
welcome truths,  is  worthy  of  imita- 
tion in  every  age.  Ver.  2, 11,  17,  29, 
33.  ( 3.)  The  superiority  of  the  gos- 
pel to  all  other  religions,  though  its 
Founder  was  put  to  death  and  dis- 
owned by  the  chosen  people  of  Israel. 
Ver.  11,  12.  ( 4.)  The  impotence  of 
man  to  resist  the  cause  of  truth  by 
threats  and  persecutions.  Ver.  17, 33. 
(  5.)  The  comfort  of  devotion  and  tlie 
answer  to  prayer.  Ver.  24-31.  ( 6.) 
The  rich  fruits  of  the  gospel,  worthy 
of  him  who  planted,  of  tliem  who 
watered,  and  of  God  who  gave  tlie 
increase.    Ver.  32  -  37. 

CHAPTER  V. 

This  chapter  is  intimately  con- 
nected with  tlie  preceding  one,  and 
proceeds  to  relate  a  terrible  event 
growing  out  of  the  custom  of  liber- 


78 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


sold  a  possession,  and  kept  hsick  part  of  the  price,  (his  wife  also  2 
being  privy  to  it,)  and  brought  a  certain  part,  and  laid  it  at  the 
apostles'  feet.     But  Peter  said,  Ananias,  why  hath  Satan  filled  3 
thy  heart  to  lie  to  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  to  keep  back  part  of  the 
price  of  the  land  ?    While  it  remained,  was  it  not  thine  own  ?  and  4 
after  it  was  sold,  was  it  not  in  thine  own  power  1   why  hast  thou 
conceived  this  thing  in  thy  heart  ?    thou  hast  not  lied  unto  men, 


ality  therein  described,  and  which 
was  most  conspicuous  in  the  case 
of  Barnabas.  The  present  division 
of  the  Scriptures  into  chapters  and 
verses,  often  witliout  reference  to 
the  connexion  of  tlie  subject,  very 
much  mars  and  interrupts  the  mean- 
ing and  effect  of  the  word  of  God. 
The  reader  should  therefore  exercise 
his  judgment  in  perusal,  and  read 
rather  according  to  the  sense,  than 
abide  implicitly  by  the  artificial  par- 
titions. 

1,  2.  Ananias,  iviih  Sapphira  his 
wife.  Nothing  is  known  of  them  ex- 
cept what  is  related  in  this  sad  his- 
tory, and  all  conjectures  are  idle. 
The  curtain  is  drawn  aside  by  the 
hand  of  the  historian  for  a  moment, 
and  we  look  in  upon  the  tragic  stage, 
and  recognize  a  few  individuals  whom 
he  points  out,  and  then  the  pall  of 
oblivion  drops  over  the  whole.  —  A 
possession.  Land.  Ver.  3.  —  Kept 
hack  part  of  the  price.  Or,  "  kept-  it 
for  himself,"  or  embezzled,  or  pur- 
loined it  At  first,  this  Avith  hoi  ding 
of  a  portion  of  the  value  appears  to 
be  the  crime  they  committed  ;  but  it 
will  be  seen  atlerwards  that  their 
sin  was  their  keeping  a  part  back, 
and  professing  that  what  they  brought 
forward,  was  the  whole  proceeds  of 
the  sale.  Ver.  4.  —  His  loife  also  be- 
ing privy  to  it.  What  aggravated,  if 
possible,  the  offence,  was,  that  they 
entered  into  a  conspiracy  between 
themselves  to  practise  this  deceit. 
Sins  committed  in  conjunction  with 
others  cannot  be  lightened,  and  a 
portion  shared  by  each;  but  press, 


with  their  whole  weight,  upon  every 
partner  in  the  transaction,  and  as- 
sume even  a  darker  dye  from  the 
mutual  consciousness  of  guilt.  They 
are  thus  more  shameless,  and  more 
influential  for  evil,  from  the  coun- 
tenance and  incitement  of  numbers. 
Let  us  never  "  lay  the  flattering  unc- 
tion to  our  souls,"  that  sin  can  be 
made  any  less  sinful  by  many  en- 
gaging in  it ;  or  that  there  can  be 
any  easy  and  innocent  partnership  in 
doing  wrong.  —  A  certain  part.  But 
ostensibly  as  if  it  were  the  whole.  — 
Laid  it  at  the  apostles^  feet,  i.  e.  placed 
it  at  their  disposal ;  as,  for  the  present, 
they  were  the  financiers,  as  well  as 
teachers,  of  the  new  association.  See 
Acts  iv.  37. 

3,  4.  But  Peter  said.  He  became 
supernaturally  acquainted  with  the 
hidden  iniquity.  It  becomes  those 
who  predicate  omniscience  of  Christ, 
because  he  kncAv  the  hearts  of  men. 
Mat.  xii.  25,  to  consider  what  infer- 
ence, according  to  that  rule,  should 
be  drawn  respecting  Peter  in  this 
connexion.  —  }fT)y  hath  Satan,  S{c. 
TJie  word  Satan  properly  means  an 
adversary,  and  was  probably  used  by 
the  Jews  and  other  Orientals  as  liter- 
ally signifying  the  being  and  source 
of  evil.  All  sin  and  moral  wrong 
were  said  to  spring  from  the  sugges- 
tions of  this  prince  of  darkness.  He 
was  supposed  to  be  vast  in  presence 
and  power,  as  if  rivalling  the  Deity 
himself.  Such  was  the  language  of 
the  times.  Such  was  the  figurative 
method  of  speaking  adopted  by  our 
Saviour  and  his  apostles,  in  conform- 


v.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


70 


5  but  unto  God.     And  Ananias,  hearing  these  words,  fell  down,  and 


ity  to  the  customs  of  the  age.  Thus, 
with  a  similar  metaphor,  we  our- 
selves speak  of  hellish  conduct;  as 
if  it  were  conduct  too  wicked  to  be 
conceived  from  ordinary  motives,  and 
must  have  been  inspired  from  hell. 
Thus,  also,  are  the  epithets  diabolical 
and  Satanic  often  employed.  See 
notes  on  Mat.  iv.  1-11;  John  xiii. 
2,  27.  To  show  that  the  wickedness 
was  not  from  a  foreign  source,  but 
from  within,  tlie  apostle  says,  ver.  4, 
"  Wiiy  hast  thou  conceived  this  thing 
in  thine  own  heart  ?  "  Covetousness 
was  the  Satan  that  prompted  An- 
anias and  Sapphira.  —  Filled  thy 
heaii.  An  idiom  for  "  instigated  or 
emboldened  thee."  —  To  lie  to  the 
Holy  GJiost,  i.  e,  to  endeavor  to  de- 
ceive us,  the  apostles,  in  whom  the 
Holy  Spirit  is  resident,  who  are  en- 
dowed with  extraordinary  divine 
gift.s,  and  authorized  to  exercise  a 
commanding  influence  upon  the  des- 
tinies of  the  Christian  religion.  The 
Holy  Ghost  is  not  here  to  be  regard- 
ed, as  any  person  or  influence,  sepa- 
rate from  tlie  person  and  influence 
of  God  himself.  As  the  spirit  of  man 
and  man  are  one,  so  the  Holy  Ghost 
and  God  are  one  and  indivisible. 
God  is  Spirit.  The  gifts  and  influ- 
ences of  the  Holy  Spirit  are  the  gifts 
and  influences  of  God.  Thus  Atha- 
nasius  says,  "  For  where  the  Spirit  of 
God  is,  there  is  God  ;  as  it  is  said, 
'  Hereby  know  we  that  God  dwell- 
eth  in  us,  because  he  has  given  us 
of  his  Spirit'"  1  John  iv.  13._— 
While  it  remained,  loas  it  not  thine 
own  ?  The  apostle  shows,  that  his 
crune  consisted  not  in  withholding 
the  purchase  money  ;  but  in  double- 
dealing,  in  pretending  to  contribute 
all,  instead  of  a  part,  to  the  general 
fund.  His  crime  was  deception, 
"  falsehood,  the  fountain  of  all  evil." 
It  appears  that  none  of  the  Christian 
converts  were  compelled,  by  any  law 


or  regulation  of  the  apostles,  to  sell 
their  property,  and  throw  it  into  the 
common  stock.  It  was  no  condition 
of  discipleship,  but  the  pure  and  vol- 
untary dictate  of  Christian  love  and 
brotherhood.  And  even  after  they 
had  sold  their  property,  it  was  still 
under  their  absolute  control,  as  di- 
rectly implied  by  the  question  of  the 
apostle,  in  the  present  verse ;  and 
they  could  contribute  a  part,  or  the 
whole,  as  they  saw  fit,  to  the  com- 
mon treasury  of  benevolence.  I3ut 
Ananias  and  Sapphira  had  under- 
taken to  play  a  hypocritical  part,  and 
seem  more  benevolent  than  they  real- 
ly Avere. —  Wliy  hast  thou  conceived 
this  thing  in  thy  /leari?  This  is  a 
comment  on  the  expression  above, 
"  Why  hath  Satan  filled  thy  heart," 
&c.,  as  if  the  act  was  so  bad  a  one, 
that  it  must  have  had  a  worse  than 
human  origin.  —  Thou  hast  not  lied 
unto  men,  Sfc,  i.  e.  not  so  much  unto 
men  as  unto  God.  Ex.  xvi.  8.  The 
offenders  might  think  that  the  apos- 
tles were  most  wronged  and  sinned 
against ;  but  Peter  carries  their  minds 
up  higher,  to  God.  The  sin  was 
committed  against  the  all-seeing 
One,  against  his  Son,  his  Spirit,  his 
church,  his  sei-vants.  It  was  a  sac- 
rilegious fraud.  They  had  no  per- 
sonal feeling  about  the  deception; 
but  were  indignant  that  the  cause  of 
Heaven  should  be  wounded  by  the 
base  hypocrisy  of  its  pretended 
friends. 

5.  Fell  doion,  and  gave  up  the  ghost. 
Or,  more  correctly,  "expired."  It 
is  not  probable  that  his  death  was 
caused  by  the  operation  of  mere  nat- 
ural causes,  as  remorse  of  conscience, 
or  sudden  fright,  but  by  the  direct 
visitation  of  God ;  whether  by  the 
interposition  of  Peter,  or  not,  is  left 
undetermined ;  but  probably  he  in- 
voked no  avenging  power,  as  no 
trace  of  it  is  left  in  the  text,  at  least 


80  THE  ACTS  [Chap. 

gave  up  the  ghost.     And  great  fear  came  on  all  them  that  heard 


until  we  come  to  ver.  9.  A  great 
objection  has  been  raised,  from  this 
passage,  against  the  gospel  itself;  an 
objection,  however,  capable  of  being 
answered.  Since  God  hath  given 
life  to  all,  he  has  a  right  to  take  that 
life  when  and  how  it  pleaseth  him. 
Mere  life  is  of  less  value  than  moral 
and  spiritual  results.  How  often 
have  multitudes  perished  in  further- 
ance of  some  great  good,  or  to  re- 
move some  great  evil !  Witness  the 
deluge,  the  destruction  of  the  cities 
of  the  plain,  many  wars,  and  the  lives 
sacrificed  in  behalf  of  religion.  In 
the  present  case,  this  dreadful  blow 
fell  with  healing  efficacy  upon  the 
infant  church.  If  we  first  consider 
the  crime  of  Ananias,  we  shall  see  it 
to  have  been  of  a  very  heinous  na- 
ture in  itself,  and  very  dangerous  to 
the  Christian  cause.  It  was  false- 
hood, fraud,  hypocrisy,  against  which 
our  Lord  ever  hurled  his  most  vivid 
rebukes.  The  case  of  this  wretched 
man  and  woman  was  probably  some- 
thing like  this :  They  share  with 
their  countrymen  the  general  and 
delusive  expectation  of  a  temporal 
Messiah.  They  become  converts  to 
the  gospel,  with  much  of  tliis  feel- 
ing. They  are  looking  for  honors, 
and  rewards,  and  pleasures.  They 
feel,  however,  some  uncertainty  of 
the  issue  of  the  matter.  The  San- 
hedrim is  arrayed  against  them.  Oth- 
ers cast  in  their  all  with  undoubting 
fiith  into  the  treasury  of  the  Lord. 
But  not  so  Ananias  and  Sapphira. 
They  have  one  eye  upon  the  new  re- 
ligion, and  the  other  turned  to  see 
v/hat  loop-hole  of  escape  there  would 
be,  if  Christ  should  prove  to  be  an 
impostor,  and  his  community  be  dis- 
persed. (See  an  article  in  Scripture 
Interpreter,  vol.  iv.  pp.  73  -  77,  by  C. 
Palfrey.)  They  conclude,  therefore, 
to  give  only  a  part,  and  reserve  a 
part  of  their  estate  against  a  change 


of  circumstances.  But  they  are 
urged  by  vanity,  and  the  desire  of 
the  favor  of  men,  to  profess  more 
than  they  performed.  They  attempt 
to  serve  God  and  Mammon  at  the 
same  time.  They  pretend  to  be  en- 
titled to  a  living  from  the  common 
stock,  when  they  had  not  put  all  into 
the  common  stock.  In  the  weak  and 
worldly  state  of  their  faith,  they  are 
easily  led  into  a  snare.  Their  sin 
was  aggravated,  too,  by  the  fact  that 
it  was  purely  voluntary.  No  one  re- 
quired them  to  sell  their  land;  or, 
when  they  had  sold  it,  no  one  re- 
quired them  to  cast  all  the  proceeds 
into  the  general  treasury.  Again, 
they  conspired  together  to  do  the  sin, 
which  increased  the  turpitude  of  the 
offence.  They  also  deliberated  up- 
on it ;  there  Avas  not  the  excuse  of 
sudden  passion,  or  unforeseen  tempt- 
ation. It  was  a  piece  of  cool,  delib- 
erate, and  hardened  wickedness.  To 
turn,  here,  from  the  sin  to  the  condi- 
tion of  the  Christian  church,  at  tliat 
time,  we  shall  see  the  necessity  of 
some  severe  and  powerful  example, 
to  arrest  the  corruption  and  hypoc- 
risy that  would  fain  creep  into  the 
bosom  of  the  brotherhood.  The 
stroke  must  come  as  a  bolt  from 
heaven,  as  a  visitation  from  God, 
and  carry  healing  and  life  in  its 
course.  Though  there  was  no  cloud 
hovering  over  the  church  by  day,  nor 
fire  sinning  as  its  watch-light  in  the 
night,  yet  it  was  essential  that  a  pro- 
found and  living  conviction  should 
be  begotten  in  every  mind,  that  God 
was  around  it  as  a  munition  of  rock ; 
that  it  was  under  his  care,  and  noth- 
ing could  prevail  against  it  Hence 
the  wholesome  and  necessary  sever- 
ity of  this  punishment  And  we  see, 
afterwards,  that  the  effect  was  salu- 
tary in  tlie  highest  degree.  —  Great 
fear  came  on  all,  ^c.  This  was  the 
intended  result    The  design  was  to 


v.] 


OF  TPIE  APOSTLES. 


81 


6  these  things.     And  the  young  men  arose,  wound  him  up,  and 

7  carried  him  out,  and  buried  him. And  it  was  about  the  space 

of  three  hours  after,  when  his  wife,  not  knowing  what  was  done, 

8  came  in.  And  Peter  answered  unto  her,  Tell  me  whether  ye 
sold  the  land  for  so  much?    And  she  said,  Yea,  for  so  much. 

9  Then  Peter  said  unto  her.  How  is  it  that  ye  have  agreed  together 
to  tempt  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  ?  behold  the  feet  of  them  which 
have  buried  thy  husband  arc  at  the  door,  and  shall  carry  thee 


strike  a  proper  awe  into  the  minds 
of  the  people.  They  saw  tliat  it 
Avas  a  matter  in  real"  earnest  to  be  a 
Christian,  and  that  false  pretences 
would  not  avail,  except  to  the  ruin 
of  all  adventurers  and  speculators. 
Thus  speaks  Neander :  "  So  terrible 
was  this  judgment,  in  order  to  guard 
the  first  operations  of  the  Holy  Spir- 
it, before  the  admixture  of  that  poi- 
son, which  is  always  most  prejudicial 
to  the  operations  of  divine  power  on 
mankind ;  and  to  secure  a  reverence 
for  the  apostolic  authority,  which  was 
so  important  as  an  external  govern- 
ing power  for  the  development  of 
the  primitive  church,  until  it  had  ad- 
vanced to  an  independent  steadfast- 
ness and  maturity  in  the  faith."  The 
effect  was  beneficial  and  desirable  ; 
the  character  of  the  young  associa- 
tion of  disciples  was  vindicated,  its 
j)urity  preserved,  and  its  faith  mixed 
witli  a  deeper  veneration  for  God, 
and  his  spiritual  influences,  and  for 
the  claim  of  unreserved  dedication 
of  life,  time,  possessions,  and  talents, 
to  his  service. 

6.  The  young  men.  Some  have 
supposed  these  to  be  a  species  of  of- 
ficers in  the  Christian  church;  but 
the  more  probable  opinion  is,  that 
they  were  simply  the  younger  por- 
tion of  the  community  present,  on 
whom  the  duty  naturally  devolved, 
as  the  most  vigorous  and  alert  of  the 
company.  —  Wound  him  up.  x\s  the 
Jews  used  no  coffins  in  burial,  the 
sole  covering  of  tlie  body  consisted 
of  folds  of  cloth  swathed  around  it. 


Such  are  the  coverings  of  the  mum- 
mies, which  are  now  disinterred. 
The  body,  in  the  present  instance, 
may  have  been  wrapped  in  the  mantle 
worn  while  living.  —  Buried  him. 
According  to  Jahn,  the  latter  Jcavs, 
unlike  the  earlier  ones,  buried  the 
body  soon  after  death.  The  heat  of 
a  tropical  climate  naturally  required 
an  early  interment.  In  the  present 
instance,  the  haste  with  which  the 
act  was  performed,  probably  arose  in 
part  from  the  nature  of  the  death. 

7.  Three  hours  after.  Bloomfield 
suggests,  that  it  was  at  the  next 
prayer-time,  as  the  intervals  were  of 
three  hours.  Various  reasons  why 
the  wife  had  not  heard  of  the  awful 
end  of  her  husband,  may  be  conjec- 
tured; but  it  is  a  characteristic  of 
the  sacred  historians  that  they  state 
facts  "  without  note  or  comment,"  ex- 
planation or  inference.  The  fact 
that  she  did  not  know  what  was 
done,  accounts  for  her  coming  in, 
which  would  otherAvise  have  seemed 
unnatural,  after  the  tragic  scene  de- 
scribed above. 

8,  9.  Answered.  Better,  "  ad- 
dressed "  her.  —  For  so  much,  i.  e. 
for  as  much  as  your  husband  said,  as 
much  as  you  professed,  or  brought 
into  the  common  fund.  —  Yea,  for  so 
much.  She  thus  endorsed  the  crim- 
inal act  of  her  husband,  and  became 
not  only  privy  to  it,  but  a  joint  act- 
or. —  Afp'eed  together  to  tempt  the 
Spirit  of  the  Lord.  They  formed  a 
conspiracy  against  the  truth.  "  The 
Spirit  of  the  Lord  "  is  here  the  same 


82 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


out.     Then  fell  she  down  straightway  at  his  feet,  and  yielded  up  10 
the  ghost.     And  the  young  men  came  in,  and  found  her  dead, 
and  carrying  her  forth,  buried  her  by  her  husband.     And  great  11 
fear  came  upon  all  the  church,  and  upon  as  many  as  heard  these 


as  "  the  Holy  Ghost "  in  ver.  3,  and 
"  God  "  in  ver.  4.  In  one  case,  God, 
or  "  the  Lord,"  is  introduced  ;  in  an- 
other, "  the  Holy  Spirit ; "  and,  in  the 
third  instance,  both  are  united,  and 
we  have  "  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord." 
They  are  all  thus  demonstrated  to  be 
identical ;  as  much  as  if  we  should 
speak  of  Milton  in  one  place,  of  his 
mind  in  another,  and  the  mind  of 
Milton  in  still  another ;  we  should 
mean  but  one  and  the  self-same  be- 
ing in  all.  "  To  tempt  the  Spirit," 
was  to  put  it  to  the  proof,  to  attempt 
to  elude  or  deceive  it,  or  those  who 
acted  under  its  guidance  and  by  its 
inspiration.  They  did  not,  as  the 
chief  motive  of  their  conduct,  seek 
to  tempt  God,  or  to  overreach  his 
all-present  Spirit ;  but,  in  seeking 
their  sinister  ends  of  covetousness, 
hypocrisy,  and  vanity,  they  did  not 
hesitate  thus  to  do  ;  it  was  no  obsta- 
cle in  their  way  to  reflect  that  their 
conduct  was  hostile  to  the  will  of 
God.  —  2%e  feet^  ^c.  Agreeably  to 
a  Hebrew  idiom,  by  which,  instead 
of  the  persons  themselves  being  men- 
tioned, that  part  of  the  body  is  spok- 
en of  which  is  exercised  in  the  con- 
templated act  —  Shall  can-y  thee  out. 
Or,  "  will  carry  thee  out ; "  not  a 
threat,  or  imprecation,  but  a  predic- 
tion, or  the  statement  of  a  fact. 
Peter  knew,  but  it  does  not  appear 
that  he  commanded,  what  their  fate 
should  be.  He  simply  announced 
the  will  of  a  higher  power  in  her 
instantaneous  death. 

10,11,  Yielded  up  the  ghost.  More 
correctly  rendered,  "  expired  ; "  the 
same  Avord  in  the  original  as  that 
translated,  in  ver.  5,  "  gave  up  the 
ghost."  —  Buried  her  loith  her  hus- 


band.    Melancholy  union  in  death, 
as  there  was  guilty  partnership  in 
life  !    Others  of  the  early  church  fell 
martyrs  to  the  cause  of  truth,  and 
tlieir  names  were  honored  ;  but  Ana- 
nias and   Sapphira  died  victims  to 
their  own  base  passions  and  hypoc- 
risy, and  are  enrolled   forever  witli 
the  company  of  Judas,  the  traitor. 
Dreadful  fate,  worthy  not  merely  to 
strike  a  momentary  dread  at  the  time, 
but  to  send  a  piercing  voice  of  warn- 
ing through  all  ages ;  saying.  Beware 
of  falsehood,  beware  of  hypocrisy,  of 
vainglory,  of  covetousness,  of  want 
of  faith ;  for  in  these  snares  you  may 
be  caught,  and  perish  spiritually,  as 
well  as  bodily !    "  Well  did  the  Sa- 
viour know  that  hypocrisy  would  be 
one  of  the  most  insidious  and  deadly 
foes  to  the  purity  of  the  church ;   at 
its  very  threshold,  therefore,  he  set 
up  this  warning  to  guard  it,  and  laid 
the  bodies  of  Ananias  and  Sapphira 
in  the  path  of  every  hypocrite  that 
would   enter  the    church."  —  Great 
fear  came,  &fc.     The  terrible  visita- 
tion of  God  worked  its  intended  re- 
sult  Great  awe  fell  upon  the  church 
and  the  surrounding  circle  of  people 
who  heard  the  facts.     The  apostles 
were   seen   to  be   accompanied   by 
the  visible  guardianship  of  a  higher 
Power,  and  that  it  was  madness  to 
oppose   or   deceive   them.      If  any 
were  meditating  the  same  guilt,  their 
purpose  was  nipped  in  the  bud.  The 
purity  of  the  church  Avas  guarded, 
and  a  holy  reverence  descended  upon 
all  minds.     Thus,  by  this  outward 
display  of  God's    power  and  over- 
ruling care  of  his  religion,  high  spir- 
itual influences  were  conveyed  ;  the 
soul  was  deeply  affected  through  the 


v.i 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


83 


12  things. And  by  the  hands  of  the  apostles  were  many  signs 

and  wonders  wrought  among  the  people ;  (and  they  were  all  with 

13  one  accord  in  Solomon's  porch.     And  of  the  rest  durst  no  man 

14  join  himself  to  them  :  but  the  people  njagnified  them.  And  be- 
lievers were  the  more  added  to  the  Lord,  multitudes  both  of  men 

15  and  women;)  insomuch  that  they  brought  forth  the  sick  into  the 
streets,  and  laid  them  on  beds  and  couches,  that  at  the  least  the 
shadow  of  Peter  passing  by  might  overshadow  some  of  them. 


senses,  as  in  the  case  of  the  sound 
and  tongues  of  fire,  Acts  ii.  2,  3,  and 
the  earthquake.  Acts  iv.  31. 

12  - 14.  By  the  hands  of  the  apos- 
tles. A  Hebraism  for  "  by  the  apos- 
tles."—  Many  signs  and  ivonders,  i.  e. 
miracles.  —  "i^nd  they  were  all  tvith 
one  accord  in  Solomon^s  porch.  John 
X.  23.  See  note  on  Acts  iii.  11. 
This  statement  is  made  in  proof  of 
tlie  unity  and  increase  of  the  Chris- 
tian church,  which  had  now  become 
so  large  as  to  require  the  ample  por- 
tico of  Solomon  as  its  place  of  meet- 
ing. The  English  version  improp- 
erly commences  a  parenthesis  with 
this  clause.  —  Of  the  rest  durst  no 
man  join  himself  unto  them.  Of  va- 
rious interpretations,  it  is  preferable 
to  understand  that  none  of  the  rest, 
i.  e.  that  none  of  the  same  stamp  of 
Ananias  and  Sapphira,  the  worldly 
and  hypocritical,  dared  unite  them- 
selves with  the  Christian  church. 
The  offence  was  not  repeated.  None 
ventured  to  join  themselves  to  the 
new  community  with  sinister  views, 
but  only  true  and  upright  believers 
in  the  Lord.  Ver.  14.  —  The  people 
magnified  them,  i.  e.  the  multitude  at 
large.  So  far  from  any  odium  or  im- 
putation arising  against  the  apostles 
or  the  Christian  community  from 
the  case  of  Ananias  and  Sapphira, 
or  any  criminality  being  charged 
against  them,  as  has  been  done  by 
the  unbelievers  of  later  times  ;  the 
respect  of  the  people  was  greatly  in- 
creased by  the  demonstration  they 
had  witnessed,  of  the  suporintending 


power  of  God  over  the  infant  cause 
of  Christianity.  —  Believers  were  the 
more  added  to  the  Lord,  S{c.  Or,  as 
others  render  it,  "believers  in  the 
Lord  Avere  added,"  &c.  This  is  not 
inconsistent  with  the  first  clause  of 
ver.  19.  For  though  the  base  and 
unspiritual  were  overawed  and  kept 
back  by  the  recent  dispensation,  yet 
all  true  hearts  were  by  this  very 
cause  more  drawn  to  the  pure  and 
heaven-watched  church.  Ver.  14  is 
made  parenthetical  by  Griesbach, 
Bloomfield,  and  other  distinguished 
critics. 

15.  Insomuch  that  they  brought,  Sfc. 
This  is  connected  with  ver.  13.  The 
readiness  with  which  they  brought 
the  sick  to  be  cured,  was  an  evi- 
dence how  much  the  people  magni- 
fied them.  —  hito  the  streets.  Or,  ac- 
cording to  the  margin,  "  in  every 
street."  —  Beds  and  couches.  The 
first  descriptive  rather  of  what  the 
rich  used,  the  other  the  small  mat- 
tress or  couch  of  the  poor.  All 
classes  resorted  to  him  to  be  healed. 
—  That  at  the  least  the  shadow  of 
Peter,  ^'C.  Comp.  Mat.  ix.  21,  22 ; 
Acts  xix.  11,  12.  Observe,  it  is  not 
said  that  the  shadow  actually  cured 
any,  or  that  it  effected  a  cure,  with- 
out the  distinct  volition  of  Peter. 
On  the  contrary,  it  is  plain,  from  all 
the  accounts  of  miracles  in  the  New 
Testament,  that  they  were  wrought 
by  God  at  the  will  of  his  Son  and 
the  apostles,  and  not  by  any  inhe- 
rent, miraculous  virtue  communica- 
ted to  any  inanimate  object.  The  wo- 


84 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


There  came  also  a  multitude  out  of  the  cities,  round  about  unto  16 
Jerusalem,  bringing  sick  folks,  and  them  which  were  vexed  with 
unclean  spirits ;  and  they  were  healed  every  one. 

Then  the  high-priest  xq^e  up,  and  all  they  that  were  with  him,  17 
(which  is  the  sect  of  the  Sadducees,)  and  were  filled  with  in- 
dignation, and  laid  their  hands  on  the  apostles,  and  put  them  in  18 


man  in  the  Gospels  was  cured,  not 
by  the  hem  of  Jesus'  garment,  but 
by  the  exertion  of  his  miraculous 
power ;  so  the  shadow  of  Peter  had 
no  intrinsic  efficacy  apart  from  him- 
self, though  it  might  perhaps  be 
used  as  connecting  the  act  and  the 
agent.  It  was  the  same  superstition 
that  led  the  people  to  associate  the 
idea  of  so  much  power  with  the 
mere  shade  of  an  apostle,  that  has  in 
every  age  magnified  the  relics  of 
saints  in  the  Roman  Catholic  and 
other  churches.  The  historian  re- 
lates the  fact,  without  comment,  as 
an  evidence  of  the  growing  faith  of 
the  people  in  the  miraculous  power 
of  the  apostles.  There  is  no  evi- 
dence in  this  or  any  other  portion  of 
the  history,  that  Peter  possessed  any 
superiority  over  the  rest  of  the  apos- 
tles, except  what  was  derived  from 
the  natural  energy  of  his  character. 
It  was  as  Peter,  and  not  as  an  apos- 
tle, that  he  took  the  lead  in  preach- 
ing and  working  miracles. 

16.  A  multiiude  out  of  the  cities. 
The  reader  will  observe  that  out  is 
in  Italics  in  the  text,  showing  that  it 
•was  not  in  the  original  language, 
but  inserted  by  the  translators  in 
their  version.  Here,  as  almost  eve- 
ry where  else  in  the  Scriptures,  the 
sense  is  improved  by  leaving  out  the 
Italicised  word,  though  there  are  ex- 
ceptions to  this  general  rule.  The 
fame  of  Peter  and  the  other  apostles 
was  widely  extended ;  so  that,  as  in 
the  days  of  the  Master  himself,  the 
sick  of  the  whole  region  round  about 
sought  that  aid,  which  they  could 
find  in  no  natural  means. —  Vexed 
with  unclean  spirits,  i.  e.  those  afflict- 


ed with  insanity,  melancholy,  or  epi- 
lepsy ;  who,  in  the  language  of  the 
times,  were  possessed  with  unclean 
or  evil  spirits.  It  is  commonly  said, 
by  those  who  believe  that  these 
were  real  possessions  of  Satan  or 
the  devil,  that  such  cases  are  always 
distinguished  from  mere  sickness  as 
such.  So  in  this  case ;  so  in  Mat 
iv.  24,  X.  1;  Mark  i.  32,  34,  xvi. 
17,  18;  Luke  iv.  40,  41,  vii.  21. 
But  in  reply  to  this,  Farmer,  a  great 
authority  on  this  subject,  in  his  Es- 
say on  Demoniacs,  has  justly  said, 
"This  is  only  one  proof,  amongst 
several  others,  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment, adopting  the  popular  language 
on  this  subject."  Not  that  a  real 
distinction  did  exist,  but  that  one  was 
supposed  to  exist  between  ordinary 
diseases  and  possessions.  Again, 
the  language  of  the  sacred  history 
is  variable  ;  sometimes  lepers  are 
distinguished  from  other  sick  per- 
sons, as  much  as  are  demoniacs,  or 
the  possessed  of  devils,  as  they  are 
incorrectly  rendered  in  our  version. 
Mat.  X.  8.  Besides,  the  distinction 
in  question,  between  demoniacs  and 
sick  people,  may  have  also  arisen 
from  the  fact  that,  in  tlie  former  case, 
the  mind,  as  well  as  the  body,  was 
affected,  as  is  well  known  in  epilep- 
sy, insanity,  &c.  On  this  whole 
subject,  see  notes  on  Mat  iv.  24, 
viii.  28  -  34  ;  Luke  viii.  35. 

17,18.  The  high-priest.  Probably 
Caiaphas,  though  the  title  was  also 
given  to  Annas,  in  consideration  of 
his  past  services.  See  note  on  Acts 
iv.  6.  As  Caiaphas  had  been  a  chief 
agent  in  the  crucifixion  of  the  Mas- 
ter, he  naturally  cherished  a  deep 


v.]  OF  THE  APOSTLES.  89 

19  the  common  prison.     But  the  angel  of  the  Lord  by  night  opened 

20  the  prison  doors,  and  brought  them  forth,  and  said.  Go,  stand 
and  speak  in  the  temple  to  the  people  all  the  words  of  this  life. 

21  And  when  they  heard  that,  they  entered  into  the  temple  early  in 
the  morning,  and  taught.  But  the  high-priest  came,  and  they 
that  were  with  him,  and  called  the  council  together,  and  all  the 


malignity  against  his  apostles  and 
followers. — All  they  that  were  with 
him,  i.  e.  his  partisans,  the  members 
of  the  Sanhedrim  and  others  of  his 
own  sect,  as  is  explained  in  the  next 
cl  luse.  —  Sadducees.  The  Christian 
doctrine  of  resurrection,  so  frequent- 
ly and  powerfully  urged  by  the  apos- 
tles, especially  conflicted  with  this 
sect,  and  therefore  aroused  all  their 
iiostility.  It  has  been  justly  re- 
marked that,  though  the  Pharisees 
had  more  influence  over  the  common 
people  on  account  of  their  professed 
sanctity ;  yet  chat  the  Sadducees 
possessed  the  greatest  power  among 
the  wealthy  and  educated  classes  of 
the  nation.  They  appear  at  this 
time  to  hold  the  supremacy  in  the 
Sanhedrim.  —  Indignation.  Literal- 
ly, "  zeal,"  in  a  good  or  bad  sense, 
though  no  single  word  in  English 
precisely  represents  the  original. 
The  meaning  here  is,  that  they  Avere 
filled  with  anger.  The  success  of 
Peter  and  his  associates  stirred  up 
all  their  fiery  passions,  and  prompted 
them  to  new  acts  of  persecution.  — 
Laid  their  hands  on,  i.  e.  caused 
them  to  be  arrested.  —  Apostles. 
Whether  all  the  Twelve,  or  only 
Peter  and  John,  is  not  stated. — 
In  the  common  prison.  Or,  "  public 
prison,"  where  common  and  aban- 
doned malefactors  were  confined. 
Since  the  apostles  could  not  be  con- 
futed in  argument,  or  silenced  by 
threats.  Acts  iv.  21,  their  enemies 
resolved  to  exercise  the  right  of  the 
strongest,  and  use  the  argument  of 
force, —  a  method  of  procedure  which 
has  found  too  many  imitators  in  ev- 
ery age.  "  The  right  of  might "  has 
yoL.  III.  8 


been  substituted  for  the   might  of 
right. 

19.  The  angel  of  tlve,  Lord,  ^c. 
There  is  no  reason  or  opportunity  of 
supposing  aught,  in  this  instance, 
but  a  direct  and  miraculous  inter- 
position of  God,  exerted  through 
some  instrument  or  agent,  called  an 
angel.  The  article  the,  before  angel, 
is  not  in  the  original.  "  An  angel  of 
the  Lord"  would  be  more  correct 
Acts  xii.  7,  xvi.  26.  This  astonish- 
ing rescue  was  adapted  to  encourage 
the  apostles  in  their  course,  to  re- 
buke their  persecutors,  and  to  spread 
new  emotions  of  wonder  and  rever- 
ence among  the  people  towards  the 
cause  thus  favored  of  Heaven. 

20.  Speak  in  the  temple.  They 
are  freed  for  an  object,  viz.,  to  con- 
tinue their  work  of  preaching.  They 
are  directed  to  enter  the  most  public 
place,  Avhere  they  would  meet  tlie 
greatest  concourse  of  people,  at  the 
same  moment  proclaiming  the  gos- 
pel, and,  in  the  freedom  of  their  own 
persons,  exhibiting  a  striking  evi- 
dence of  its  divine  autliority.  —  All 
the  words  of  this  life.  A  circumlocu- 
tion for  'the  gospel;'  the  leading 
doctrine  of  which  was  the  resurrec- 
tion from  the  dead,  or  life  and  im- 
mortality beyond  tlie  grave.  John  vi. 
68,  xvii.  3.  The  great  truth  of  spir- 
itual eternal  life  was  especially  dis- 
tasteful to  those,  most  active  in  this 
movement  against  tlie  apostles.  Chap, 
xxiii.  8. 

21.  TFhen  they  heard  that,  they  en- 
tered, ^"c.  We  see  their  promptness. 
With  them,  to  hear,  was  to  obey. 
They  were  not  "  disobedient  unto  the 
heavenly  vision,"    but  were    ready 


86 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


senate  of  the  children  of  Israel,  and  sent  to  the  prison  to  have 
them  brought.     But  when  the  officers  came,  and  found  them  not  22 
in  the  prison,  they  returned,  and  told,  saying,  The  prison  truly  23 
found  we  shut  with  all  safety,  and  the  keepers  standing  without 
before  the  doors  :   but  when  we  had  opened,  we  found  no  man 
within.     Now,  when  the  high-priest,  and  the  captain  of  the  tem-  24 
pie,  and  the  chief-priests  heard   these  things,  they  doubted  of 
them   whereunto  this  would  grow.     Then   came  one  and  told  25 
them,  saying,  Behold,  the  men  whom  ye  put  in  prison  are  stand- 
ing in  the  temple,  and  teaching  the  people.     Then  went  the  26 
captain  with  the  officers,  and  brought  them  without  violence: 
for  they  feared  the  people,  lest  they  should  have  been  stoned. 
And  when  they  had  brought  them,  they  set  them  before  the  coun-  27 


again  to  plunge  into  the  sea  of  diffi- 
culties which  rolled  around  them. 
How  sublime  the  heroism  of  these 
ancient  "  defenders  of  the  faith  " !  — 
Early  in  the  morning.  They  were 
freed  during  the  night,  ver.  19,  and 
as  early  as  the  people  assembled  for 
their  morning  devotions,  the  apostles 
were  present  to  address  them.  See 
Luke  xxi.  38 ;  John  viii.  2.  —  The 
high-priest  came,  i.  e.  to  the  place  of 
meeting,  whether  in  the  temple,  the 
palace  of  the  high-priest,  or  else- 
where. —  They  that  ivere  with  him. 
See  ver.  17.  —  All  the  senate.  Lit- 
erally, "all  the  eldership."  This 
term  is  probably  not  used  as  synony- 
mous with  "the  council"  or  San- 
hedrim before  mentioned,  in  order  to 
give  foreigners  an  idea  of  the  nature 
and  officeof  that  body,  as  Schleus- 
ner  conjectures ;  but  stands  for  the 
elders  of  Israel  in  general,  who  were 
invited  to  be  present  upon  this  impor- 
tant occasion,  on  account  of  their  age 
and  wisdom.  See  chap.  iv.  8,  xxii.  5. 
23,  24.  The  keepers  standing  loith- 
out,  fyc.  Griesbach  rejects  "  with- 
out," as  destitute  of  good  authority. 
The  prisoners  had  been  taken  out 
without  injury  to  the  prison,  or  the 
knowledge  of  the  guard.  Chap.  xir. 
(5-9,    The  manner  of  operation  is 


not  described,  and  conjectures  are 
idle.  It  is  sufficient  that  the  hand 
of  God  opened  a  way  for  their  re- 
lease. —  The  captain  of  the  temple. 
See  note  on  chap.  iv.  1.  —  l^hey 
doubted  ofUmn  ivhereunto  this  would 
groiv.  Or,  as  some  translate  it, 
"  what  this  would  be  ; "  and  otliers, 
"how  this  could  be  ;"  how  the  pris- 
oners could  escape  from  such  close 
confinement.  The  priests  and  elders 
were  thrown  into  perplexity.  Bloom- 
lield  renders  it  into  a  popular  expres- 
sion, "They  did  not  know  what  to 
think  of  it,"  which  is  expressive  of 
wonder  at  some  circumstance  con- 
nected with  any  thing;  as,  for  in- 
stance, the  means,  manner,  or  event 
of  it.     Chap.  X.  17. 

26.  The  captain,  i.  e.  the  prefect 
of  the  temple,  a  Jewish  officer.  See 
note  on  chap.  iv.  1.  The  elders 
and  priests  received  the  astounding 
intelligence  that  their  prisoners  had 
not  only  escaped,  but  were  again 
preaching  in  the  most  public  place. 
Whereupon  officers  are  despatched 
with  the  captain  of  the  temple  to 
arrest  tliem  again.  But  such  was 
the  general  favor  of  the  people,  tliat 
they  were  obliged  to  treat  them 
mildly,  to  escape  a  popular  uproar. 
—  For  they  feared  the  people.    The 


v.] 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


m 


28  cil :  and  the  high-priest  asked  them,  saying,  Did  not  we  strailly 
command  you,  that  ye  should  not  teach  in  this  name?  and  be- 
hold, ye  have  filled  Jerusalem  with  your  doctrine,  and  intend  to 

29  bring  this  man's  blood  upon  us. Then  Peter  and  the  other 

apostles  answered  and  said,  We  ought  to  obey  God  rather  than 

30  men.     The  God  of  our  fathers  raised  up  Jesus,  whom  ye  slew 


sense  of  tlie  verse  is  improved  by 
throwing  this  into  a  parenthesis, 
according  to  Winer  and  Bloom- 
field  ;  the  clause,  "  lest  they  should 
have  been  stoned,"  depending  upon 
"brought  them  Avithout  violence," 
not  upon  "  feared  tlie  people."  "  The 
common  people  "  heard  the  apostles, 
as  they  did  Jesus,  "  gladly."  Their 
goodness,  their  wonderful  and  be- 
nevolent deeds,  their  excellent  teach- 
ings, and  the  power  which  accompa- 
nied them,  conciliated  the  good- will 
of  a  large  class. 

28.  Straitly  command.  Literally, 
"  command  with  a  command "  —  a 
Hebraism  for  an  earnest,  peremptory 
injunction.  Chap.  iv.  17,  18,  21. 
The  high-priest  charges  them  with 
violating  the  laws  of  the  Sanhedrim, 
a  g-rave  offence.  —  In  this  name.  A 
natural  feature  appears  here.  They 
do  not  mention  the  person,  as  he  was 
most  odious  to  tliem,  but  refer  to  him 
in  an  indirect  way.  The  apostles 
taught  and  wrought  miracles  only  in 
the  name  of  Jesus.  —  Filled  Jerusa- 
lem with  your  doctrine.  An  enemy's 
testimony  to  the  fidelity  and  zeal  of 
the  disciples  ;  that,  so  soon  after  their 
ministry  began,  they  had  leavened 
to  so  great  an  extent  the  holy  city 
itself,  the  heart  and  centre  of  tlie 
Jewish  religion.  —  Intend  to  bnng 
tkis  rtmn^s  blood  upon  us.  Another 
touch  of  nature  and  reality.  They 
avoid  mentioning  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ,  but  speak  of  "this  name," 
and  "  this  man's  blood."  Their  con- 
sciences, too,  are  active,  and  the 
sense  of  remorse  excited,  as  is  seen 
by  the  accuracy  with  which  they  re- 
fer to  the  imprecation,  made  by  the 


Jews  at  the  crucifixion  of  Chi-ist, 
Mat  xxvii.  25,  "  His  blood  be  on  us 
and  on  our  children."  They  begin 
to  fear  that  his  blood  will  be  on 
them  ;  but  they  only  persist  in  being 
the  more  violent,  the  more  nearly 
they  are  convinced  of  their  sin  and 
error.  They  wish  to  keep  them- 
selves in  countenance  by  new  and 
forced  zeal.  They  therefore  accuse 
tlie  apostle  of  the  very  offence  of 
which  they  had  themselves  been 
guilty,  viz.,  of  calling  down  the  blood 
of  Jesus  upon  the  Jewish  people  and 
posterity.  The  addresses  of  Peter 
did,  indeed,  cHarge  home  the  crime 
of  putting  the  Messiah  to  death  upon 
the  Jewish  nation,  and  particularly 
the  rulers  ;  but  it  was  done  to  awaken 
tliem  to  repentance  for  so  horrible 
a  wickedness,  and  make  them  par- 
takers of  the  blessings  of  the  Messi- 
ah's kingdom.  But  it  Avas  no  part 
of  their  object  to  stir  up  a  sedition 
among  the  people  against  the  elders 
and  chief-priests  on  account  of  their 
implication  in  the  Messiah's  death, 
as  the  high-priest  might  imply  in  his 
accusation. 

29,  30.  Answered  and  said.  Peter 
spoke  in  the  name  of  the  rest  In 
the  Scriptures  and  other  ancient 
An-itings,  that  is  often  attributed  to 
many  which  properly  belongs  to  only 
one.  —  Obei/  God  rather  than  men. 
See  notes  on  chap.  iv.  19,  20.  —  The 
God  of  our  fathers.  He  makes  the 
same  reference  as  in  chap.  iii.  33. 
He  Avould  convince  them  that  it  was 
no  strange  God,  but  the  God  whom 
tlie  Jews  worshipped,  and  their  fa- 
thers before  them,  that  was  appear- 
ing for  the  redemption  of  his  people 


THE   ACTS 


[Chap. 


and  hanged  on  a  tree:  him  hath  God  exalted  with  his  right  hand  31 
to  he  a  Prince  and  a  Saviour,  for  to  give  repentance  to  Israel, 
and   forgiveness  of  sins.     And   we   are  his  witnesses  of  these  32 
things ;  and  so  is  also  the  Holy  Ghost,  whom  God  hath  given  to 


by  Jesus  the  Messiah.  This  appeal 
was  one  of  peculiar  force,  and  touched 
the  springs  of  patriotism  and  venera- 
tion for  their  ancestors,  the  patriarchs 
and  prophets  of  old.  —  Raised  up 
Jesiis.  Referring,  not  to  his  resur- 
rection from  the  dead,  but  to  his 
being  originally  set  apart  for  this 
work,  honored  with  a  divine  commis- 
sion. Chap.  ii.  32,  iii.  22,  26,  xiii. 
23.  —  Slew  and  hanged  on  a  tree. 
Or,  slew  by  hanging  upon  a  tree,  or 
cross.  The  primary  meaning  of  the 
original  is  "wood,"  whence  come 
secondary  senses  of  stake,  post,  gib- 
bet, cross,  or  what  is  made  of  wood. 
He  contrasts  here,  as  upon  former 
occasions,  the  wicked  treatment  of 
our  Lord,  by  the  Jewish  rulers  and 
people,  with  the  honor  and  exaltation 
given  him  by  God.  Chap.  ii.  3,  iii. 
13.  He  hesitates  not,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  powerful  and  venera- 
ble council,  the  wise,  learned,  and 
wealthy  of  the  nation,  to  say  fear- 
lessly, "  whom  ye  slew."  There  is 
a  blind  and  reckless  animal  coinage 
that  rushes  into  the  thickest  of  the 
battle-field  without  fear  ;  but  we  be- 
hold in  these  men  of  God  a  courage 
of  a  superior,  of  a  moral,  kind ;  a 
courage  derived  from  the  exercise 
of  the  highest,  not,  as  in  the  other 
case,  often  from  the  lowest,  princi- 
ples of  human  nature. 

31,  32.  Exalted  ivith  his  right  hand. 
Or,  "  at  his  right  hand."  Chap,  ii, 
33.  By  this  is  evidently  signified, 
not  a  local  position,  but  a  spiritual 
state  of  honor  and  glory,  fitly  imaged 
by  the  right  hand,  the  post  of  dignity 
and  acceptance  with  kings,  who  thus 
showed  their  regard  to  their  favorites. 
—  To  he.  Superfluous  words  of  the 
translators.  —  Prince.    Leader,  con- 


ductor, as  in  the  way  of  life  and  duty. 
Chap.  iii.  15,  and  note.  —  Saviour. 
Mat.  i.  21.  He  would  bless  man- 
kind by  turning  and  saving  every  one 
of  them  from  his  iniquities.  They 
would  then  be  prepared  to  follow 
him,  as  the  leader  in  the  way  of  life 
and  heaven.  Our  Lord  came  to  save 
men,  not  so  much  from  punishment, 

—  for  that  they  still  sufter  if  they  sin, 

—  as  from  the  need  of  punishment ; 
not  so  much  from  the  natural  conse- 
quences of  sin,  —  for  they  remain  the 
same,  —  as  from  sin  itself,  the  great- 
est evil ;  not  from  God,  —  for  he  only 
punishes  to  reform,  —  but  from  them- 
selves, from  the  perversions  and  cor- 
ruptions of  their  own  nature.  —  To 
give  repentance  to  Israel,  and  forgive- 
ness of  sins.  Or,  "  remission  of  sins." 
Luke  xxiv.  47.  By  giving  repent- 
ance is  here  understood  the  publi- 
cation of  those  great  facts  and  truths 
which  would  awaken  penitence ; 
which  would  lead  even  Israel,  though 
stained  with  tlie  blood  of  her  Mes- 
siah, to  turn  from  the  evil  of  her 
way,  and  embrace  the  Christian  faith. 
Jesus  was  not  empowered  to  create 
repentance  in  the  sinner,  or  to  bring 
both  Gentiles  and  Jews  to  the  adop- 
tion of  liis  religion,  by  any  arbitrary 
or  mystical  influence,  or  in  a  mode 
ti-enching  upon  man's  free  agency; 
but  by  the  natural  operation  of  truth 
upon  the  human  mind,  revealing  tlie 
love  of  God,  his  readiness  to  forgive, 
and  the  ingratitude,  misery,  and  ruin 
of  disobedience.  We  have  here, 
also,  the  natural  order,  first  repent- 
ance, then  forgiveness.  Such  is  the 
promise  of  God,  that  they  stand  in 
the  relation  of  cause  and  effect.  He 
that  repents  is  forgiven,  because  he 
repents;  though  he  cannot,  in  all 


v.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


33  them  that  obey  him. When  they  heard  that,  they  were  cut 

34.  to  the  heart,  and  took  counsel  to  slay  them.  Then  stood  there 
up  one  in  the  council,  a  Pharisee,  named  Gamaliel,  a  doctor  of 
the  law,  had  in  reputation  among  all  the  people,  and  commanded 


instances,  repair  the  evil  done.  The 
will  is  accepted  for  the  deed,  and 
God  receives  back  to  his  favor  the 
returning  prodigal.  The  coming  of 
our  Saviour  did  not  affect  the  eternal 
principles  of  the  divine  government, 
tlie  relation  of  moral  causes  and 
effects,  but  was  designed  to  make 
them  more  clearly  understood,  more 
vividly  felt  and  heeded,  by  mankind. 

—  Wt  are  hiswitiusses  of  these  things. 
Luke  xxiv.  48 ;  Acts  i.  8,  ii.  32.  An 
important  office  of  the  apostles  was 
to  bear  testimony  to  the  facts  which 
they  had  witnessed,  of  the  miracles, 
teachings,  death,  resurrection,  and  as- 
cension of  their  Master.  —  The  Holy 
Ghost,  i.  e.  according  to  Beausobre 
and  L'Enfant,  "  the  miraculous  gifts 
which  Jesus  had  bestowed  upon  his 
apostles,  and  which  they  confen*ed 
upon  believers."  John  v.  37.  God 
had  added  to  the  personal  testimony 
of  the  apostles,  the  sanction  and  pow- 
er of  his  Holy  Spirit ;  which  enabled 
tJiem  to  speak  with  other  tongues, 
work  wonders,  and  by  whose  instru- 
mentality, in  an  angelic  form,  tliey 
had  just  been  delivered  from  a 
strong  and  guarded  prison.  —  Whom. 
Should  be,  "which."  The  transla- 
tors often  use  "  which  "  for  "  who  " 
and  "  whom,"  in  speaking  of  persons  ; 
but  here  tliey  have  reversed  their 
usual  error,  and  employed  "  whom  " 
in  relation  to  what  is  not  a  person, 
but  a  gift,  an  influence  from  on  high. 

—  To  them  that  obey  him,  i.  e.  to  tlie 
apostles  and  others  supernaturally 
endowed.  Obedience  to  God  would 
seem  to  be  a  condition  of  participa- 
tion in  the  gifts  of  the  Spirit 

'33.    Tliey  ivere   cut  to   the  heart. 
The  original  verb  signifies,  "  to  saw 
through  or  asunder,"  and,   in  con- 
8* 


nexion  with  the  teeth,  to  "  gnash  or 
grate."  The  sense  here  is,  that  they 
were  enraged,  transported  with  pas- 
sion, not  seized  with  remorse,  as  in 
chap.  ii.  37.  The  fact  that  the  apos- 
tles had  disobeyed  their  command, 
and  continued  to  preach ;  that,  when 
imprisoned,  they  had  escaped ;  and 
that,  when  arraigned  before  the  an- 
cient and  honorable  of  the  land,  they 
had  openly  charged  them  witli  the 
murder  of  the  Messiah,  and  pro- 
claimed his  resurrection  from  the 
dead,  and  ascension  on  high,  exas- 
perated their  passions  to  the  highest 
degree.  —  Took  counsel  to  slay  them. 
Or,  "  purposed  or  determined  to  put 
them  to  death."  No  decree  was  yet 
passed.  As  they  had  effected  the 
death  of  the  Master,  they  have  no 
compunction  or  hesitation  in  follow- 
ing up  the  same  bloody  course  to- 
wards his  adherents. 

34.  ^^  Pharisee  named  Gamaliel, 
8>fc.  This  Avas  a  distinguished  Jew- 
ish doctor  of  the  law,  or  interpreter 
of  the  sacred  books.  He  was  the 
son  of  Simeon  and  the  grandson  of 
Hillel,  also  famous  Jewish  doctors. 
The  exalted  title  of  Rabban  wels 
bestowed  on  Gamaliel,  as  indicative 
of  his  great  wisdom  and  reputation. 
He  was  at  one  time  president  of  the 
Sanhedrim.  He  was  also  the  in- 
structor of  Paul.  Chap.  xxii.  3.  The 
veneration  in  which  he  was  held, 
naturally  gave  great  weight  to  his 
counsel  in  this  instance,  both  among 
his  own  sect,  the  Pharisees,  and  also 
with  the  Sadducees ;  though  his  opin- 
ions appear  to  be  partly  dictated  by 
a  secret  opposition  to  the  high-priest 
and  his  friends,  as  well  as  by  his 
profound  and  judicious  wisdom. — 
Commanded.      Or,   "requested,"  or 


9a 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap, 


to  put  the  apostles  forth  a  little  space ;  and  said  unto  them,  Ye  35 
men  of  Israel,  take  heed  to  yourselves  what  ye  intend  to  do  as 
touching  these  men :    for  before  these  days  rose  up  Theudas,  36 
boasting  himself  to  be  somebody ;  to  whom  a  number  of  men, 
about  four  hundred,  joined  themselves :  who  was  slain ;  and  all, 
as  many  as  obeyed  him,  were  scattered,  and  brought  to  nought. 


«  directed." — To  put  the  apostles  forth 
a  little  space.  The  object  was,  in 
chap.  iv.  15,  that  there  might  be  a 
more  free  expression  of  opinion,  and 
that  the  prisoners  might  take  no  ad- 
vantage or  encouragement  from  what 
was  said. 

35, 36.  Take  heed  to  yourselves,  ^c. 
Winer  prefers  the  translation,  "  Take 
heed  to  yourselves,  on  account  of 
these  men,  what  ye  would  do,  or  are 
about  to  do."  It  has  been  suggested 
by  Priestley,  that  Gamaliel  might 
give  a  more  favorable  opinion,  from 
the  idea  that  God  might  be  preparing 
the  way  to  deliver  the  Jews  from  the 
dominion  of  the  Romans,  through 
the  wonderful  power  of  the  apostles, 
and  that  he  therefore  prudently  ad- 
vises tliem  to  do  nothing  rashly,  but 
await  the  issue.— i?05e  %ip  Theudas. 
Josephus,  in  his  Jewish  Antiquities, 
has  given  a  narrative  of  a  certain 
Theudas,  who  professed  to  be  a 
prophet,  and  drew  a  great  multitude 
after  him,  upon  the  pretext  that,  if 
they  would  follow  him  to  the  River 
Jordan,  and  carry  their  goods  with 
them,  he  would  divide  tlie  waters  by 
his  command,  and  give  them  a  pas- 
sage across  on  dry  land.  But  Cus- 
pius  Fadus,  then  procurator  of  Judea, 
despatched  some  troops  against  the 
insurgents,  by  which  many  of  them 
were  taken,  many  of  them  killed, 
and  the  head  of  their  leader  brought 
in  triumph  to  Jerusalem.  But  the 
Theudas  of  Josephus  raised  his  re- 
bellion about  fourteen  years  after 
the  time  of  Gamaliel's  address,  and 
cannot  therefore  be  identified  with 
the  TheudELS  of  the  text.  Various 
solutions   have   been    proposed  for 


this  difficulty.  Josephus  may  have 
committed  an  anachronism  or  error 
in  time,  and  assigned  the  insurrec- 
tion of  Theudas  to  the  period  of 
Cuspius  Fadus,  when  it  occurred,  in 
reality,  ten  or  fifteen  years  before. 
But  the  more  probable  supposition 
is,  that  there  were  two  leaders  of  the 
same  name,  which  was  a  very  com- 
mon one  among  the  Jews.  As  a 
collateral  probability,  it  is  stated  in 
Josephus,  that  there  were  no  less 
than  four  persons  of  the  name  of  Si- 
mon within  forty  years,  and  three 
of  the  name  of  Judas  within  ten 
years,  who  Avere  all  leaders  of  rebel- 
lions ;  and  that,  before  the  time  of 
the  text,  there  were,  according  to 
Josephus,  "innumerable  other  dis- 
orders in  Judea,"  and  the  land  was 
"  full  of  robberies."  The  compara- 
tively small  number  connected  with 
the  Theudas  of  Gamaliel  rendered 
him,  perhaps,  in  the  far  more  terrific 
conflicts  of  the  times,  unworthy  of 
the  notice  of  the  Jewish  historian. 
To  recite  all  the  troubles  of  that  tur- 
bulent period,  would  have  been  an 
endless  task.  The  Jews,  ardently 
expecting  their  Messiah  and  Deliv- 
erer, ill  brooked  the  dominion  of  the 
Romans ;  and  there  never  were  Avant- 
ino-  leaders,  who  could  draw  together 
adherents,  and,  \mder  some  political 
or  religious  pretext,  resist  the  estab- 
lished government,  and  Avage  a  sort 
of  predatory  warfare  upon  both  coun- 
trymen and  foreigners.  Usher  and 
Pearce  meet  the  difficulty  by  sup- 
posing that  Theudas  was  another 
name  for  Judas,  whose  rebellion  Jo- 
sephus narrates  as  occurring  a  little 
after  the  death  of  Herod  the  Great  j 


V.J 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


91 


37  After  this  man  rose  up  Judas  of  Galilee,  in  the  days  of  the  tax- 
ing, and  drew  away  much  people  after  him :  he  also  perished ; 

38  and  all,  even  as  many  as  obeyed  him,  were  dispersed.     And  now 
I  say  unto  you.  Refrain  from  these  men,  and  let  them  alone :  for 


but  the  whole  is  founded  on  conjec- 
ture. Gamaliel  adduces  the  histori- 
cal precedents  of  Theudas  and  Judas 
in  confirmation  of  his  proposition  in 
ver.  38,  39,  that  if  the  work  in  ques- 
tion were  of  men,  it  would  come  to 
nought ;  but  if  of  God,  it  could  not 
be  overthrown.  —  Boasting  himself 
to  be  somebody.  Chap.  viii.  9.  An 
idiom,  meaning  that  he  claimed  to 
be  a  great  leader  or  prophet,  or  per- 
haps the  expected  Messiah.  —  Four 
hundred.  This  was  a  much  smaller 
number  than  that  which  united  with 
several  otlier  insurgents  of  the  time. 
Chap.  xxi.  38.  —  Obeyed  him.  Or,  as 
in  the  margin,  "  believed  him." 

37.  Judas  of  Galilee,  in  the  days  of 
the  taxing.  After  Archelaus,  Mat 
ii.  22,  was  deposed  from  tlie  govern- 
ment, and  Judea  was  reduced  to  a 
Roman  province,  in  the  reign  of  Au- 
gustus, a  census  or  enrolment,  called 
"  taxing "  in  the  text,  was  taken  by 
Quirinius,  or  Cyrenius,  president  of 
Syria,  to  which  Judea  was  attached. 
Josephus  says,  "  that  the  Jews  were 
at  first  surprised  at  the  name  of  a 
census,  but  that,  by  the  persuasion 
of  Joazar,  the  high-priest,  they  gen- 
erally acquiesced  in  it.  However, 
Judas  Gaulanitis,  associating  to  him- 
self Sadduc,  a  Pharisee,  excited  the 
people  to  rebellion ;  told  them  that 
an  assessment  would  introduce  down- 
right slavery,  and  persuaded  them 
to  assert  their  liberty.  The  people 
heard  their  discourses  with  incredi- 
ble pleasure.  And  it  is  impossible 
to  represent  the  evils  the  nation  has 
suflTered,  which  were  owing  to  these 
men."  In  another  place,  the  same 
writer  says,  "Judas,  the  Galilean, 
was  the  leader  of  the  fourth  sect. 
In  all  other  points  they  hold  tlie 


same  sentiments  with  the  Pharisees. 
But  they  have  an  invincible  affection 
for  liberty,  and  acknowledge  God 
alone  their  Lord  and  Governor.  From 
this  time  the  nation  became  infected 
with  this  distemper  ;  and  Gessius 
Florus,  by  abusing  his  power  when 
he  was  president,  threw  them  into 
despair,  and  provoked  them  to  rebel 
against  the  Romans."  Elsewhere 
he  says  that  Judas  told  the  people 
"they  had  a  mean  spirit,  if  they 
could  endure  to  pay  tribute  to  the 
Romans,  and  acknowledge  mortal 
men  for  their  lords,  after  God  had 
been  their  King."  Mat.  xxii.  ]  7  -  21 ; 
Luke  xiii.  1, 2.  This  revolt  was  the 
beginning  of  difficulties,  which  were 
never  entirely  quieted  until  the  city 
and  nation  of  the  Jews  were  de- 
stroyed in  the  great  war  of  Titus. 
Josephus  gives  no  account  of  the 
fate  of  Judas,  but  it  is  recorded  in 
the  text.  His  principles,  however, 
were  imbibed  and  carried  out  by  the 
faction  called  Zealots,  mentioned  in 
the  history  of  the  Jewish  war.  "  The 
taxing,"  or  enrolment,  here  spoken 
of,  was  subsequent  about  twelve 
years  to  that  related  in  Luke  ii.  2. 
Judas  is  called,  by  Josephus,  not  only 
the  Galilean,  as  by  Gamaliel  in  the 
text,  but  also  Gaulanitis,  the  Gau- 
lanite,  as  above,  because  he  is  said 
to  have  been  a  native  of  Gamala,  a 
city  belonging  to  Gaulanitis,  which 
was  included  in  Galilee. 

38,  39.  And  now  I  say  unto  you^ 
Ifc.  Having  stated  his  facts  and 
premises,  the  speaker  proceeds  to 
draw  his  conclusion,  which  is,  that 
they  should  refrain  from  killing  or 
maltreating  the  apostles,  and  let 
them  go  on.  For  if  the  cause  in 
which  they  were  embarked  was  of 


98  THE  ACTS  [Chap. 

if  this  counsel  or  this  work  be  of  men,  it  will  come  to  noucrht : 
but  if  it  be  of  God,  ye  cannot  overthrow  it ;  lest  haply  ye  be  39 


mere  human  origin,  it  would  perish 
without  their  interference,  as  did  tlie 
rebellions  before  mentioned.  But  if 
it  was  of  God,  it  could  not  be  up- 
rooted ;  and  if  they  assailed  it,  they 
would  take  the  undesirable  attitude 
of  contending  against  God.  Prov. 
xxi.  30;  Is.  viii.  10.  The  Jewish 
doctors  have  elsewhere  recorded 
similar  sentiments ;  as  that  "  every 
thing  undertaken  for  God's  glory 
was  certain  of  success;'  and  that 
"  every  association,  which  was  made 
in  the  name  of  God,  would  stand ; 
but  that  which  was  not  for  the  honor 
of  God  would  fall."  Neander  re- 
marks that  "  too  much  has  been  at- 
tributed to  these  words  of  Gamaliel, 
when  it  has  been  inferred  from  them 
that  he  was  a  secret  adherent  of  the 
gospel ;  the  connexion  he  kept  up 
with  the  Jewish  schools  of  theology 
precludes  such  a  supposition.  By 
the  traditions  of  the  Gcmara,  we  are 
justified  in  considering  him  as  one 
of  the  free  thinking  Jewish  theolo- 
gians, which  we  also  learn  from  his 
being  in  favor  of  the  cultivation  of 
Grecian  literature  ;  and  from  his  pe- 
culiar mental  constitution,  we  might 
likewise  infer,  that  he  would  be  more 
easily  moved  by  an  impression  of 
the  divine,  even  in  appearances, 
which  did  not  bear  the  stamp  of  his 
party.  On  the  one  hand,  he  had  a 
clear  perception  of  the  fact,  that  all 
fanatical  movements  are  generally 
rendered  more  violent  by  opposition, 
and  that  what  in  itself  is  insignifi- 
cant, is  often  raised  into  importance 
by  forcible  attempts  to  suppress  it. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  manner  in 
which  the  apostles  spoke  and  acted 
made  some  impression  on  a  man  not 
wholly  prejudiced  ;  while  their  exact 
observance  of  the  law,  and  hostile 
attitude  towards  Sadduceeism,  must 
have  disposed  him  more  strongly  in 


their  favor,  and  hence  the  thought 
might  arise  in  his  mind  that,  after  all, 
there  was  something  divine  in  the 
cause  they  advocated."  It  is  said 
that  Gamaliel  died,  as  he  had  lived, 
a  Pharisee,  about  twenty  years  after 
the  events  here  recorded,  and  there 
was  great  lamentation  at  his  deatli. 
Onkelos,  the  Targumist,  is  said  to 
have  burnt  seventy  pounds  of  in- 
cense at  his  funeral.  The  Mishna 
affirmed  that,  when  "  Rabban  Gama- 
liel died,  the  glory  of  the  laAv  ceased ; 
and  purity  and  Pharisaism  expired." 
—  This  council  or  this  ivork,  i.  e.  of 
the  gospel ;  the  plan,  and  the  effort 
to  realize  the  plan,  of  Christ. 

We  may  surely  be  allowed  to  ar- 
gue with  the  weapons  of  logic,  which 
the  enemies  of  Christianity  have 
themselves  put  into  our  hands.  Since 
the  gospel  has  not  been  overthrown, 
but  has  gone  on  conquering  and  to 
conquer,  from  age  to  age,  and  was 
never  so  great  a  poAver  as  at  this 
day,  Ave  infer,  conversely  to  the 
proposition  of  Gamaliel,  that  it  is  of 
God,  and  never  can  be  overthrown. 
It  is  true,  that  false  systems  of  re- 
ligion have  spread  far  and  wide,  and 
flourished  long  in  the  earth.  But 
they  have  often  relied  upon  the 
sword  for  their  extension  and  per- 
petuity. They  have,  too,  made  a 
compromise  with  the  passions,  and 
not  demanded  the  pure  morals  of  the 
Christian  system.  They  have  also 
fallen  into  perversions  and  corrup- 
tions, from  which  they  could  not 
recover,  being  destitute  of  the  con- 
servative and  self-recuperative  ener- 
gy of  the  gospel.  Our  holy  faith 
has  been  attacked  by  every  species 
of  foe,  open  and  concealed ;  by  the 
arm  of  the  persecutor,  and  the  argu- 
ment of  the  philosopher;  by  the 
doubts  of  the  ignorant,  and  the 
sneers  of  the  Avitty.     But  it  has  come 


v.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


40  found  even  to  fight  against  God. And  to  him  they  agreed  : 

and  when  they  had  called  the  apostles,  and  beaten  therrij  they 
commanded  that  they  should  not  speak  in  the  name  of  Jesus, 

41  and  let  them  go.     And  they  departed  from  the  presence  of  the 
council,  rejoicing  that  they  were  counted  worthy  to  suffer  shame 

42  for  his  name.     And  daily  in  the  temple,  and  in  every  house,  they 
ceased  not  to  teach  and  preach  Jesus  Christ. 


forth  brighter  and  purer  from  every 
furnace,  in  which  it  has  been  tried. 
It  still  lives  ;  it  prevails  by  moral 
suasion;  it  fills  the  world.  Cities 
and  empires  rise  and  fall,  but  this 
kingdom  endureth  throughout  all 
generations.  Napoleon  Bonaparte 
remarked,  in  a  conversation  related 
by  his  friend  Count  de  Montholon, 
"  Alexander,  Csesar,  Charlemagne, 
and  myself,  founded  empires ;  but  on 
what  foundation  did  we  rest  the  cre- 
ations of  our  genius  ?  Upon  force. 
Jesus  Christ  alone  founded  his  em- 
pire upon  love ;  and  at  this  hour 
millions  of  men  would  die  for  him. 
His  eternal  kingdom  is  proclaimed, 
loved,  and  adored,  and  is  extending 
over  tlie  whole  earth." 

40.  To  him  they  agreed,  i.  o.  in 
part.  They  did  not  wholly  refrain 
from  maltreating  the  apostles,  but 
concluded  not  to  put  them  to  death, 
according  to  their  original  intentions. 
Ver.  33.  — Beaten  them.  The  original 
word  signifies  to  flay,  but  the  sense 
here  is  to  scourge,  or  beat  with  rods 
or  thongs  —  a  cruel  and  deeply  igno- 
minious punishment,  to  which  our 
Saviour  himself  had  been  subjected. 
Mat  xxvii.  26.  The  usual  number 
of  lashes  was  thirty-nine.  2  Cor.  xi. 
24.  The  apostles  were  now  suffer- 
ing what  had  been  predicted  in  Mat. 
x.  17.  This  infliction  of  pain  gave 
vent,  as  it  were,  to  the  malice  of  the 
elders  and  priests.  They  perhaps 
feared,  too,  that  their  authority  might 
be  despised  by  others,  if  the  apostles 
went  entirely  free,  afler  they  had 
been  forbidden  to  preach  the  gospel, 


and  had  once  escaped  from  prison. 

—  Should  not  speak  in  tlie  name  of 
Jesus,  i.  e.  preach  the  gospel,  or  work 
miracles,  which  were  both  done  in 
that  sacred  name.  The  same  pro- 
hibition had  been  before  enjoined 
upon  them  in  vain.  Chap.  iv.  17, 
18,  21. 

41, 42.  T%e  council.  Comprising, 
as  it  would  seem,  the  Sarihedrim 
and  others  called  in  on  tlie  occasion. 

—  Rejoicing  that  they  were  accounted 
worthy,  Sfc.  Though  they  had  been 
most  ignominiously  treated,  they  ac- 
counted it  no  disgrace,  but  an  honor, 
to  suffer  in  so  great  a  cause  ;  for  they 
were  partakers  of  similar  sufferings 
as  their  Master  before  them.  Plul. 
iii.  10;  Col.  i.  24 ;  1  Pet.  iv.  13.— 
In  ever]/  house.  Or,  "  from  house  to 
house,"  for  such  is  the  idiom  of  tlie 
Greek.  Instead  of  damping  their 
courage,  their  trials  enkindled  new 
zeal  in  the  diffusion  of  truth.  In- 
stead of  obeying  men,  they  betook 
themselves  with  new  fidelity  and  in- 
terest to  obeying  God.  —  Teach  and 
preach.  The  one  referring,  proba- 
bly, to  their  public  labors,  the  other 
to  their  private  instructions ;  the  one 
to  what  they  did  in  the  temple,  tlie 
other  to  what  they  did  fi-om  house 
to  house.  —  Jesus  Christ,  i.  e.  accord- 
ing to  the  best  translators,  they 
preached  Jesus  the  Christ,  or  that 
Jesus  is  the  Christ,  or  Messiah. 
Thus  triumphantly  closes  this  new 
record  of  the  persecution  of  the  apos- 
tles. The  whole  narration  is  lumi- 
nous witli  truth  and  reality,  and 
cannot  but  leave  a  deep  impression 


94 


THE   ACTS 


[Chap. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

The  Appointment  of  Seven  Deacons,  and  the  Persecution  of  Stephen. 

And  in  those  days,  when  the  number  of  the  disciples  was 
multiplied,  there  arose  a  murmuring  of  the  Grecians  against  the 
Hebrews,  because  their  widows  were  neglected  in  the  daily  min- 


upon  every  unprejudiced  reader  of 
the  divine  origin  and  authority  of 
tlie  gospel. 

The  following  remarks  in  relation 
to  the  case  of  Ananias,  and  also  the 
opinion  of  Gamaliel,  are  by  Kenrick. 
"  1.  How  could  Peter  have  had  the 
effrontery  to  reprove  Ananias  for 
uttering  a  lie,  if  he  himself  had  been 
at  the  same  time  publishing  a  more 
flagrant  lie,  in  reporting  the  resur- 
rection of  his  Master,  and  in  assert- 
ing his  own  claim  to  a  divine 
commission  ?  How  could  God,  the 
impartial  Judge  of  all  the  earth, 
punish  the  less  offender  with  so 
much  severity,  and  let  the  greater 
go  free  ?  Or  how  could  men,  with 
such  dreadful  examples  before  their 
eyes,  persist  in  a  notorious  fraud? 
To  such  questions  as  these,  let  the 
enemies  of  our  faith,  if  tliey  are  able, 
reply." 

2.  "  Happy  would  it  have  been  for 
the  Jews,  happy  would  it  have  been 
for  Christians,  if  tliey  had  always  been 
attentive  to  the  maxims  of  this  Avise 
teacher !  How  much  innocent  blood 
would  have  been  spared  !  how  much 
human  misery  prevented !  But,  al  as, 
it  seems  as  if  the  bulk  of  mankind 
had  yet  to  learn  what  history  and 
observation  have  always  taught  the 
enlightened,  —  the  folly  and  wicked- 
ness of  persecutioru" 

CHAPTER  VI. 
1.  In  those  days.  An  indefinite 
expression,  implying  that  it  was  not 
long  after  tlie  events  related  in  the 
preceding  chapter.  The  chronology 
of  the  Acts  is  ascertained  in  only  a 
few  points  witli  any  dcgTee  of  cer- 


tainty. —  Was  multiplied.  Greater 
numbers  naturally  opened  more  room 
for  jealousies  and  difficulties.  The 
obstacles  in  the  way  of  a  community 
of  goods,  even  to  the  small  extent 
practised  in  the  early  church, — much 
more  in  the  entire  relinquishment  of 
all  individual  property  to  a  general 
stock,  —  were  apparent  very  soon, 
notwithstanding  the  wisdom  and  jus- 
tice of  the  apostles,  and  those  who 
probably  took  the  lead  in  this  busi- 
ness. —  The  Grecians  against  the 
Hebrews.  Two  parties  were  formed, 
consisting  of  two  different  classes  of 
the  disciples.  By  the  Grecians,  or, 
literally,  Hellenists,  it  has  been  con- 
tended by  Lightfoot  and  many  oth- 
ers, that  Luke  means  the  Grecian, 
or  Grecised  Jews,  —  foreign  Jews, 
—  such  as  were  Jews  by  their  re- 
ligion, though  they  were  Grecian  or 
Gentiles  by  their  country  and  lan- 
guage, who  had  now  come  to  Je- 
rusalem. On  tlie  other  hand,  I>ard- 
ner  and  other  learned  men,  hold  that 
"the  Grecians"  were  proselytes  to  the 
Jewish  religion,  who  were  originally 
Gentiles  by  birth,  religion,  and  lan- 
guage. It  is  needless  to  state  the 
various  reasons  on  both  sides.  But 
there  is  a  third  opinion,  supported,  in 
full  or  in  part,  by  the  authority  of 
Kuinoel,  Norton,  Robinson,  Milman, 
Olshausen,  and  Ripley,  which  is 
entitled  to  more  consideration  than 
either  of  the  above  interpretations. 
It  is,  that  both  foreign  Jews  and 
Gentile  proselytes  to  Judaism,  wheth- 
er converted  to  Christianity  or  not, 
were  included  in  the  term.  For, 
since  both  classes  existed,  and  both 
probably  had  representatives  in  the 


VI.] 


01<'  TlJb:  APOSTLES. 


95 


2  istration.     Then  the  twelve  called  the  multitude  of  the  disciples 
unto  them,  and  said,  It  is  not  reason  that  we  should  leave  the 

3  word  of  God,  and  serve  tables.     Wherefore,  brethren,  look  ye 
out  among  you  seven  men  of  honest  report,  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost 


prunitive  church,  it  is  probable  that 
they  were  put  together  under  one 
head ;  and  if  either  was  excluded, 
it  was  left  without  a  designation. 
Again,  as  some,  like  Timothy,  were 
of  Gentile  origin  on  one  side,  and 
Jewish  on  the  other,  chap.  xvi.  1,  it 
was  necessary  to  have  a  word  that 
Avould  not  be  inappropriate  to  both 
Jewish  residents  abroad,  and  Gentile 
proselytes.  And,  finally,  we  learn, 
from  the  subsequent  history,  ver.  5, 
that  one  of  tlie  officers  to  rectify 
abuses,  was  a  proselyte  to  Judaism ; 
while  the  silence  observed  respect- 
ing the  others,  in  conjunction  with 
their  Grecian  names,  favors  the  idea 
that  they  were  part,  or  all,  foreign 
Jews,  using  the  Greek  language. 
By  "  the  Hebrews  "  is  meant  genuine 
Jews  in  all  respects.  Gen.  xiv.  li.  — 
Their  widows  were  neglected.  Particu- 
lar regard  was  generally  paid,  in  the 
early  church,  to  the  relief  of  this  class 
of  the  afflicted,  and  often  tlie  desti- 
tute. 1  Tim.  V.  3,  9,  10,  16 ;  James 
i.  27.  The  text  says  that  the  widows 
of  the  Grecians,  or  Hellenists,  were 
neglected,  or  overlooked,  or  passed 
by.  Partiality  was  shown  in  the  dis- 
tribution of  the  general  fund  of  relief, 
or  what  is  called  the  "  daily  minis- 
tration." See  chap.  iv.  35.  As  the 
native  Jews  constituted  the  largest 
and  most  important  party  in  the  new- 
association,  and  felt  a  superiority  to 
foreign  Jews  and  proselytes,  on  ac- 
count of  their  living  in  the  Holy 
Land,  their  birth,  education,  and  lan- 
guage ;  it  was  not  unnatural  that  even 
Christian  principles  and  benevolence 
should  not  at  once  make  them  im- 
partial, in  their  treatment  of  those 
whom  they  had  been  accustomed  to 
look  down  upon  as  inferiors.     We 


witness  here  the  generous,  equalizing 
spirit  of  Christianity,  already  com- 
mencing its  attack  upon  the  distinc- 
tions of  classes,  and  parties,  and 
castes,    and   proclaiming  the   great 

truth  of  HUMAN    BROTHERHOOD. 

■  2.  The  twelve.  Now  complete  by 
the  choice  of  Matthias.  Chap.  i.  2(i. 
—  The  multitude  of  the  disciples.  By 
this  is  not  meant  all  the  converts  at 
Jerusalem,  but  a  large  assembly  of 
those  most  interested  in  the  affair.  — 
It  is  not  reason.  Or,  "  reasonable," 
or  it  is  not  agreeable  or  proper. — 
Leave  the  word  of  God,  i.  e.  leave 
preaching  the  word  of  God,  or  neg- 
lect the  peculiar  and  important  du- 
ties of  apostles.  Their  first  high 
office  wa,s  to  bear  witness  to  the  his- 
tory of  Jesus,  and  proclaim  the  word 
of  God,  revealed  by  him,  and  con- 
firmed by  the  Holy  Spirit  It  would 
not  be  proper  or  right  to  turn  aside 
from  this  great  mission  to  tlie  spir- 
itual wants  of  the  world,  and  to  be 
distracted  by  inferior,  though  useful 
and  necessary,  occupations.  —  Serve 
tables.  As  "tables"  were  used  by 
the  exchangers  of  money.  Mat.  xxi. 
12,  at  which  they  sat  in  the  markets 
or  public  places,  the  pln-ase  is  used 
to  describe,  figuratively,  an  attention 
to  money  matters,  or  to  secular 
affairs  in  general.  The  apostles 
were  set  apart  for  higher  concerns, 
and  should  not  be  expected  to  take 
care  of  the  collection  and  distribution 
of  the  general  fund  for  the  relief  of 
widows  and  the  poor.  Other  per- 
sons could  more  appropriately  per- 
form these  duties.  Chap.  iv.  34,  35, 
37,  V.  2,  8. 

3,  4.  Look  ye  out  among  you.  We 
see  here  the  power  of  choosing  the 
oScers  accorded  to  the  assembly  or 


96 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


and  wisdom,  whom  we  may  appoint  over  this  business.     But  we  4 
will  give  ourselves  continually  to  prayer,  and  to  the  ministry  of 
the  word.     And  the  saying  pleased  the  whole  multitude :   and  5 
they  chose  Stephen,  a  man  full  of  faith  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
and  Philip,  and  Prochorus,  and  Nicanor,  and  Timon,  and  Par- 


church.  The  apostles  did  not  dic- 
tate what  selection  should  be  made, 
but  referred  the  matter  to  those  who 
would  be  interested  in  the  appoint- 
ment None  of  the  arrogance,  none 
of  tlie  inordinate  love  of  power, 
which  have,  in  succeeding  times, 
wrought  such  boundless  mischief  in 
the  church,  were  here  exhibited.  — 
Seven  men.  This  number  possessed 
a  sacredness  to  a  Jewish  mind, 
which  may  have  had  its  weiglit  on 
the  present  occasion.  —  Of  honest 
report.  In  the  original,  a  partici- 
ple, — "  testified,  well  accredited," 
as  full  of  the  Holy  Spirit  —  Holy 
Ghost  and  wisdom.  It  is  the  unani- 
mous voice  of  critics  that  the  sense 
is,  "men  well  reported  for  their 
Christian  excellences  and  git\s,  and 
their  worldly  prudence  in  managing 
such  affairs  as  would  come  more 
specially  under  their  jurisdiction.''  — 
TFliom  we  may  appoint.  Rather, 
"Whom  we  may  place  or  ordain," 
for  the  appointment  was  by  the  peo- 
ple, not  the  apostles :  and  the  latter 
were  simply  to  perform  the  act  of 
consecration  to  the  office,  as  they 
did  in  ver.  6.  —  Over  this  husiness, 
i.  e.  of  "the  daily  ministration,"  or 
the  distribution  to  every  person,  as 
he  had  need.  Chap.  iv.  35.  —  Give 
ourselves  continually.  Or,  literally, 
"  persevere  in,"  or  "  be  continually 
engaged  in."  The  mighty  work  in 
which  they  were  employed,  required 
their  untiring  devotion  and  perse- 
verance. They  could  allow  nothing 
to  compete,  for  a  moment,  with  their 
peculiar  apostolic  duties. — To  prayer. 
By  which  some  understand  the  exer- 
cises of  meditation  and  supplication 
in  general,  and  not  the  mere  act  of 


prayer.  Nothing  is  more  essential 
to  a  preacher  of  the  word  of  God, 
than  an  habitual  and  prayerful  com- 
munion with  the  Spirit  of  God.  Un- 
ceasing devotion  can  alone  give  a 
vivid  sense  of  the  reality  of  spiritual 
things,  and  establish  deep  and  living 
convictions  of  the  wants  of  the  soul. 
and  the  rich  supplies  from  the  foun- 
tain of  all.  —  The  ministry  of  (he 
word.  Or,  "service  of  the  word." 
They  were  to  "  serve  "  the  word,  not 
tables.  Ver.  2.  This  clause  refers 
ratlier  to  their  public  duties  as  preach- 
ers of  the  gospel,  which,  in  that  age, 
destitute  of  the  art  of  printing,  and  in 
every  age,  notwithstanding  the  mul- 
tiplication of  books,  must  be  the 
grand  instrument  for  diffusing  Chris- 
tian truth,  and  quickening  the  moral 
energies  of  mankind.  The  living 
voice,  and  the  presence  of  the  living 
soul,  give  an  uncalculated  power  to 
the  administration  of  the  gospel  over 
the  masses  of  society,  which  would 
be  sought  in  vain  in  the  utmost  in- 
fluence of  -RTritten  books  and  printed 
eloquence. 

5,  6.  The  saying  pleased^  ^c.  It 
was  customary,  among  the  Jcavs,  for 
three  persons  to  be  appointed  by 
each  synagogue,  to  oversee  the  sec- 
ular concerns  of  the  body,  and  to 
provide  for  the  poor.  Hence  the 
proposition  of  the  apostles  would 
coincide,  in  some  measure,  with  their 
former  usages,  and  prove  the  more 
acceptable.  —  They  chose.  Observe 
that  the  choice  rests  exclusively  with 
the  people  at  large.  —  Stephen,  a 
man  full.,  &fc.  Little  is  known  of  this 
disciple,  except  what  is  related  in 
this  and  the  following  chapter.  He 
is  chiefly  distinguished  as  the  proto- 


VI.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


97 


6  menas,  and  Nicolas  a  proselyte  of  Antioch,  whom  they  set  before 
the  apostles :  and  when  they  had  prayed,  they  laid  their  hands  on 


martyr,  or  the  first  Christian  who 
was  put  to  death  for  his  faitli.  Chap, 
vii.  His  abilities  and  gifts,  both  na- 
tive and  conferred,  were  ample,  and 
he  appears  to  have  caught  a  glimpse, 
even  earlier  than  others,  of  that 
great  mystery  or  secret  of  the  king- 
dom of  Christ,  that  it  was  to  be 
thrown  open  to  the  Gentiles  as  well 
as  to  the  Jews.  Hence  he  has  been 
called  the  forerunner  of  Paul.  — 
Philip.  He,  like  Stephen,  not  only 
discharged  the  secular  duties  of  his 
station,  but  preached  the  gospel. 
His  history  is  wrapped  in  darkness, 
except  some  notices  respecting  his 
labors  in  chap,  viii.,  and  his  family 
in  chap.  xxi.  8,  9.  Of  the  remaining 
five,  nothing  is  known  with  certainty. 
Their  single  honor  was  to  have 
their  names  inscribed  in  this  book 
of  life.  —  JVicolas  a  proselyte,  i.  e.  a 
convert  to  the  Jewish  religion.  The 
reference  is  not  to  his  conversion  to 
Christianity.  Some  of  the  ancients 
identified  him  as  the  founder  of  the 
sect  of  heretics  called  Nicolaitanes 
in  Rev.  ii.  6,  15  ;  but  no  credit  is  to 
be  attached  to  the  conjecture.  The 
fact  that  he  was  a  proselyte,  indi- 
cates that  proselytes  were  included 
in  the  term  Hellenists,  ver.  1,  and 
since  most  of  the  seven  names  are 
Greek  or  Gentile,  it  is  probable  that 
it  included  also  foreign  Jews.  The 
officers  appointed  appear  to  belong 
principally  to  the  party  of  complain- 
ants, and  they  Avould  therefore  be 
better  able  to  redress  the  Avrongs  of 
the  neglected,  and  more  acquainted 
with  their  wants.  —  Of  Antioch. 
This  splendid  city  Avas  situated  in 
Syria,  on  the  River  Orontes.  It  was 
built  by  Seleucus  Nicanor,  one  of 
the  kings  of  that  country,  and  called 
Antioch  after  his  father,  Antiochus. 
It  was  the  seat  of  belles-lettres  and 
the  fin'?  arts,  and  was  reckoned,  at 

VOL.    JII.  9 


one  period,  as  the  third  city  in  the 
Roman  provinces.  Here  the  disci- 
ples first  received  the  appellation  of 
Christians.  Chap.  xi.  26.  Antioch 
has  been  subject  in  all  periods  to 
tlie  terrible  devastations  of  wars  and 
earthquakes,  and  little  at  present 
remains  of  its  former  splendor  but 
ruins.  It  is  now  under  the  dominion 
of  the  sultan  of  Turkey,  and  is 
called  Antakia. — Whom  they  set  he- 
fore  the  apostles.  The  congregation 
of  disciples  chose  the  proposed  offi- 
cers, and  set  them  before  the  apos- 
tles to  be  consecrated  to  their  work. 
—  Prayed  —  laid  their  hands  on  them. 
This  act  of  consecration  consisted 
of  prayer  and  the  imposition  of 
hands;  by  which  it  would  appear, 
not  that  any  authority  was  given,  or 
any  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit  commu- 
nicated ;  but  that  these  solemn  ser- 
vices were  performed  for  their  moral 
and  spiritual  influence  upon  tlie 
minds  of  all  concerned.  The  cus- 
tom of  placing  the  hands  upon  per- 
sons when  set  apart  to  an  office,  or 
when  a  blessing  Avas  invoked  upon 
til  em,  is  often  introduced  in  the  Bi- 
ble. Gen.  xlviii.  14, 18  ;  Num.  xxvii. 
18,  2Ji;  Mat.  ix.  18;  Mark  vi.  5, 
xvi.  18  ;  Acts  viii.  17 ;  1  Tim.  iv. 
14,  V.  22 ;  2  Tim.  i.  6.  So,  at  the 
pres^^nt  day,  the  placing  of  the 
Iiands  upon  the  head  of  one  set  apart 
for  the  gospel  ministry  should  not 
be  deemed  as  a  mystical  act,  con- 
veying any  hidden  virtue,  or  confer- 
ring any  positive  authority,  so  much 
as  an  emblem  of  consecration,  and  a 
blessing  supplicated  upon  the  indi- 
vidual from  God.  That  appears  to 
have  been,  at  least  in  this  case,  the 
extent  of  the  virtue  of  the  laying  on 
of  hands  even  by  the  apostles  them- 
selves ;  how  much  more  truly  is  tliis 
the  case  with  their  fallible  succes- 
sors in  the  ministry  of  reconciliation ! 


98 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


them. And  the  word  of  God  increased ;  and  the  number  of  7 

the  disciples  multiplied  in  Jerusalem  greatly ;  and  a  great  com- 
pany of  the  priests  were  obedient  to  the  faith. 

And  Stephen,  full  of  faith  and  power,  did  great  wonders  and  8 


The  individuals  appointed  and  set 
apart  above  are  usually  called  dea- 
cons, from  the  Greek  word  "  to  ser\^e," 
ver.  2 ;  and  the  duties  of  those  thus 
designated  among  us  somewhat  re- 
semble the  office  of  tlie  seven  in  the 
text,  in  their  oversight  of  the  tempo- 
rals of  the  church.  But  it  is  utterly 
in  vain  to  draw,  as  many  sects  of 
Christians  attempt  to  do,  precedents 
for  one  or  another  form  of  ecclesias- 
tical organization  and  government, 
from  these  early  usages  of  the  Chris- 
tian church.  The  regulations  then 
adopted  sprang  up  with  tlie  exigen- 
cies of  the  times,  like  the  growth  of 
Nature  herself.  There  was  no  rigid 
system,  no  formal  arrangements. 
The  spiritual  life  of  the  behevers 
took  such  outward  forms  as  were 
needful  to  express  and  cherish  itself; 
but  there  was  no  forcing,  no  iron  bed 
of  uniformity.  If  a  particular  mode 
of  government,  gradation  of  officers, 
and  fabric  of  laws  and  rules,  were 
essential  to  the  existence  and  pros- 
perity of  the  church,  we  should  have 
naturally  looked  for  them  in  the 
Acts  of  the  Apostles.  Since  we  do 
not  find  them  here ;  since  as  many 
inferences  can  be  drawn  from  apos- 
tolic usages,  and  plausibly,  too,  in 
some  measure,  as  there  are  modes 
of  church  government  in  the  \vorld  ; 
we  cannot  but  come  to  the  irresisti- 
ble conclusion  that  the  more  simple, 
natural,  and  well  adapted  to  human 
wants,  any  modes  are,  the  more  near- 
ly they  correspond  in  spirit,  if  not  in 
letter,  to  the  administration  of  the 
primitive  and  apostolic  age. 

7.  The  word  of  God  increruted,  S,r. 
Or,  "  throve,"  or,  "  grew."  The  sense 
of  course  is,  that  the  knowledge  of 
the  gospel  was  more  diffused  anciwul- 


comed.  The  settlement  of  the  diffi- 
culties in  the  church  would  natural- 
ly lead  to  new  zeal  and  cooperation, 
and  a  greater  extension  of  the  truth. 
Persecution  and  trouble  only  served, 
as  we  learn  from  the  history,  to  call 
forth  new  virtues  and  new  successes. 
All  worked  together  for  good  to  the 
infant  cause.  —  A  great  company  of 
the  priests.  This  was  very  remarka- 
ble, as  the  priests  had  hitherto  proved 
the  greatest  opponents  to  the  gospel. 
They  were  the  most  forward  in  the 
persecution  and  crucifixion  of  Jesus, 
and  manifested  the  same  unrelenting 
malignity  towards  his  apostles  and 
disciples.  Their  connexion  with 
the  religion  of  Moses,  and  their  in- 
terest in  the  perpetuity  of  its  ser\-ices 
and  rites,  inclined  their  minds,  in- 
dependently of  those  considerations 
which  aftected  tlie  people  at  large, 
to  view  with  aversion  and  distrust 
the  new  faith  ;  which  they  ignorantly 
supposed  was  the  subversion,  not  the 
fulfilment  and  carrying  out,  of  the 
religion  of  their  fatliers.  When  the 
onward  progress  of  the  word  of  God 
had  therefore  prevailed  over  many 
of  this  unpromising  class,  and  their 
important  influence  was  gained,  it 
was  an  item  worthy  of  record.  — 
Obedient  to  the  faith.  Or,  to  Christian- 
ity ;  for  faith  is  so  large  and  essen- 
tial an  element  in  its  composition,  that 
it  is  sometimes  put  for  the  whole.  — 
We  learn  from  Ezra  ii.  36  -  40,  that 
the  whole  number  of  priests  Avas 
large,  and  Josephus,  against  Appion, 
speaks  of  twenty  tliousand  at  that 
day. 

8.  Stephen,  full  of  faith  and  power. 
Or,  according  to  the  reading  admit- 
ted by  Griesbach,  "full  of  grace  and 
power,"    i,  e.   divine  favor  and  the 


VI.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


99 


9  miracles  among  the  people.  Then  there  arose  certain  of  the 
synagogue,  which  is  called  the  synagogue  of  the  Libertines,  and 
Cyrenians,  and  Alexandrians,  and  of  them  of  Cilicia,  and  of  Asia, 


power  of  working  miracles.  Ver.  5. 
The  narrative  of  the  appointment  of 
seven  deacons  naturally  introduces 
tlie  history  of  Steplien,  the  most  dis- 
tinguished of  them,  whose  martyr- 
dom is  hereafter  related.  Chap.  vii. 
Wonders  and  miracles.  Hebraism 
for  "  miracles  "  simply,  or, "  wonder- 
ful works." 

9.  The  synagogue.  The  number 
of  synagogues,  or  Jewish  places  of 
worship,  was  very  great  in  Jerusa- 
lem, and  variously  recorded  by  the 
Talmuds  as  being  between  four  and 
five  hundred.  As  Jews  from  every 
part  of  the  then  known  world  re- 
sorted to  the  holy  city  at  the  festi- 
vals, they  had  synagogues  for  their 
own  use,  designated  by  the  names  of 
the  countries  from  which  they  came ; 
and  in  them  the  Greek  language,  to 
which  they  were  habituated,  was 
used,  and  their  particular  wants 
more  regarded.  According  to  some 
authors,  the  various  classes  here 
enumerated  constituted  one  party, 
with  a  synagogue  in  common ;  but 
the  better  view  is,  that  the  Jews 
from  each  nation  had  their  peculiar 
place  of  worship ;  one  belonging  to 
the  Cyrenians,  and  another  to  the 
Cilicians,  &c.  —  Ldbertines.  Some 
difference  of  opinion  has  existed  re- 
specting this  class,  whether  they 
took  their  name  from  their  country, 
or  from  their  civil  condition.  Sev- 
eral critics  contend  that  they  belong 
to  a  place  in  Africa  called  Libertum, 
or  Libertina,  near  Carthage,  and  cite 
the  mention  of  such  a  place  from 
ancient  writers  and  the  records  of 
councils.  The  fact  that  the  name  is 
introduced  in  connexion  with  the 
Cyrenians  and  Alexandrians  is  also 
afftrmed  as  a  collateral  probability. 
But  much  uncertainty  rests  upon 
the  existence  and  location  of  such  a 


place.  Hence  most  incline  to  the 
other  principal  opinion,  that  the  Lib- 
ertines were  so  called  from  their 
condition.  The  term  is  a  Latin  word, 
expressed  in  Greek  letters.  Roman 
slaves  who  had  obtained  their  free- 
dom were  called  liberti,  freedmen, 
and  their  posterity,  libertini,  the  chil- 
dren of  freedmen.  Many  Jews  had 
been  taken  captive  in  war  at  various 
times,  and,  after  being  carried  to 
Italy,  were  made  free  by  their  Ro- 
man masters.  Philo  states  that  one 
portion  of  Rome  was  inhabited  by 
this  class  of  persons.  But  several 
years  before  the  period  spoken  of  in 
the  text,  Tiberius,  the  Roman  em- 
peror, resolved,  to  use  the  language 
of  Tacitus,  "to  expel  the  Egyptian 
and  Jewish  rites.  And  a  decree  of 
the  senate  was  passed  that  four  thou- 
sand of  the  Libertine  race,  infected 
with  that  superstition,  and  who  were 
of  a  fit  age,  should  be  transported 
into  the  Island  of  Sardinia ;  and  that 
the  rest  should  depart  from  Italy 
within  a  time  limited,  unless  they 
renounced  their  profane  rites."  Jo- 
sephus  and  Suetonius  corroborate 
the  same  statement,  and  expressly 
call  the  Libertine  race  Jews.  As 
these  freedmen,  whether  Jews  or 
proselytes  to  the  Jewish  religion, 
were  very  numerous,  it  is  not  im- 
probable that  they  are  spoken  of  in 
the  text,  as  having  a  synagogue  in 
Jerusalem.  The  Talmuds  often  speak 
of  the  synagogue  of  the  Libertines, 
or  those  made  free,  and  of  the  syna- 
gogue of  the  Alexandrians.  —  Cyre- 
nians. See  note  on  chap.  ii.  10. — 
Alexandrians.  Inhabitants  of  Alex- 
andria, a  city  of  Egypt,  situated  on 
the  Nile,  built  by  Alexander  the 
Great,  in  tlie  fourth  century  before 
Christ,  and  originally  peopled  by 
colonics  of  Greeks  and  Jews.     At 


100 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


disputing  with  Stephen.  And  they  were  not  able  to  resist  the  10 
wisdom  and  the  spirit  by  which  he  spake.  Then  they  suborned  ll 
men,  which  said,  We  have  heard  him  speak  blasphemous  words 


one  period,  it  was  second  only  to 
Rome,  distinguished  for  its  immense 
size,  the  magnificence  of  its  build- 
ings, its  vast  commerce,  and  schools 
of  science  and  literature.  It  was 
the  great  mart  of  intercourse  be- 
tween the  eastern  and  western  world. 
The  Jews  were  so  numerous  here, 
that  Philo,  a  contemporary  with 
Christ,  states  that  they  inhabited 
two  fifths  of  the  city.  It  was  here 
that  the  Septuagint,  or  version  of 
the  Seventy,  the  Greek  translation 
of  the  Hebrew  Scriptures,  was  made. 
Christian  as  well  as  Jewish  schools 
long  flourished  at  Alexandria,  until 
it  was  conquered  by  the  Muhanune- 
dans  in  the  seventh  century ;  and  it 
has  since  continued  under  their  do- 
minion. —  Cilicia.  This  was  a  prov- 
ince of  Asia  Minor,  bounded  south 
by  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  east  by 
Syria,  north  and  west  by  Cappadocia, 
Lycaonia,  Isauria,  and  Pamphylia. 
Paul  was  a  native  of  Tarsus,  the 
chief  city  in  this  country,  and  was 
perhaps  connected  with  the  syna- 
gogue of  the  Cilicians,  and  engaged 
in  the  controversy  with  Stephen,  for 
we  learn,  from  chap.  vii.  58,  viii.  1, 
xxii.  20,  that  he  was  present  at  his 
death,  and  kept  the  clothes  of  the 
witnesses.  —  Jlsia.  See  note  on 
chap.  ii.  9.  —  Disputing.  Or,  "  ques- 
tioning," or,  "  reasoning  with." 

10.  JVot  able  to  resist  the  ivisdom 
and  the  spirit,  ^c.  As  Stephen  was 
supernaturally  gifted  with  a  spirit 
of  wisdom,  apart  from  his  superior 
native  abilities,  the  Jcavs  were  whol- 
ly unable  to  confute  him  with  the 
weapons  of  reason ;  and  hence,  in 
their  passion,  they  resorted  to  the 
blind  argument  of  force.  By  thus 
shifting  the  mode  of  attack,  they 
confessed  their  inferiority,  and  yield- 
ed him  the  palm  of  truth. 


11.  Suborned,  i.  e.  they  secretly 
procured  men,  who  would  take  a 
false  oath,  or  perjure  themselves. 
Mat  xxvi.  59,  60,  61.  The  method 
of  procedure  very  much  resembled 
that  pursued  toAvards  the  Master. 
They  procured  witnesses  not  to  fab- 
ricate utter  falsehoods,  but  to  put  a 
false  construction  upon  what  was 
really  said.  Comp.  Mat.  xxvi.  61, 
with  John  ii.  19  -  21.  —  Blasphemous 
tvords  against  Moses  and  against 
God.  .  Stephen  saw  that  the  gospel 
was  the  completion  of  the  law,  that 
Jesus  was  to  supersede  Moses  ;  and 
he  probably  said  what  he  believed 
on  the  subject  He  wished  to  con- 
vince his  countrymen  that,  in  becom- 
ing the  followers  of  the  Messiah, 
they  were  carrying  out  the  very 
scheme  which  Moses  commenced, 
and  most  truly  honoring  that  great 
lawgiver.  Hence  Neander  observes 
that,  by  the  witnesses  being  called 
false,  it  does  not  follow  that  all  tl^ey 
said  was  a  fabrication,  but  only  that 
they  had,  on  many  points,  distorted 
the  assertion  of  Stephen,  with  an 
evil  intention.  It  was  far  from  his 
design  to  attack  the  divine  origin 
and  holiness  of  the  law,  or  blaspheme 
Moses.  Ver.  13,  14.  But  he  prob- 
ably represented  the  religion  of  the 
Jews  as  an  arrangement  for  the  time 
being,  and  as  eventually  falling  be- 
fore the  grand  movement  of  higher 
and  more  spiritual  truths.  The 
slightest  hint  of  that  kind  would,  of 
course,  be  caught  up  and  magnified 
into  the  gravest  crime.  His  case  in 
this  respect  resembled  that  of  his 
Master.  He  was  charged  with  blas- 
phemy, the  capital  crime,  which, 
in  a  theocracy  like  Judaism,  was  not 
only  a  religious,  but  a  political^  of- 
fence, treason  against  God  the  King, 
as  well  as  impiety  to  tlie  Most  High, 


VI.] 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


101 


12  against  Moses,  and  against  God.  And  they  stirred  up  the  peo- 
ple, and  the  elders,  and  the  scribes,  and  came  upon  Am,  and 

13  caught  him,  and  brought  him  to  the  council,  and  set  up  false 
witnesses,  which  said.  This  man  ceaseth  not  to  speak   blasphe- 

it  mous  words  against  this  holy  place,  and  the  law :  for  we  have 
heard  him  say,  that  this  Jesus  of  Nazareth  shall  destroy  this 
place,  and  shall  change  the  customs  which  Moses  delivered  us. 

15  And  all  that  sat  in  the  council,  looking  steadfastly  on  him,  saw 
his  face  as  it  had  been  the  face  of  an  angel. 


and  punishable  with  death.  See 
Lev.  xxiv.  16  ;  Deut.  xiii.  TO.  The 
above  view  helps  to  explain  the 
bearing  of  the  address  of  Stephen  in 
chap.  vii. 

1'^.  Tim)  sUired  up  the  people,  i.  e. 
tlie  foreign  Jews  of  ver.  1),  with 
whom  Stephen,  as  being  probably  a 
Hellenist,  ver.  1,  5,  was  more  imme- 
diately connected,  excited  the  people 
at  large,  as  weJl  as  the  scribes  and 
priests,  against  him.  The  necessity 
of  making  their  victim  odious  in  the 
popular  view,  if  they  would  succeed 
in  tlieir  persecution,  was  apparent 
from  the  favor  with  which  the  people 
regarded  the  Christian  cause.  Chap, 
ii.  47,  iv.  21,  v.  26.  —  Came  wpon 
him,  i.  e.  violently.  —  Council.  The 
Sanhedrim. 

13.  Set  up  false  witnesses,  i.  e. 
tliose  whom  they  had  prepared  be- 
forehand. They  were  false,  inas- 
much as  they  maliciously  misrepre- 
sonted  what  Stephen  had  said,  and 
mingled  truth  and  falsehood  in  their 
statement  —  This  holy  place,  i.  e.  the 
temple,  or,  as  some  think,  the  holy 
city.  —  The  law.  The  law  of  ]Moses  ; 
v/hich  the  Jews  made  a  kind  of  idol, 
ignorant  that  it  was  not  an  end,  but 
a  means  to  something  higher. 

14.  Shall  destroy  this  place.  The 
old  charge,  seemino-ly  copied  from 
John  ii.  19  -  21 ;  Mat.  xxvi.  61.  — 
Change  the  customs,  8{c.  Or,  abro- 
gate the  Mosaic  ritual  of  sacrifices 
and  ceremonies.  It  is  unlikely  that 
Stephen  made  any  direct  assertions 


of  this  kind,  for  the  disciples  had 
hardly  risen  yet  into  the  comprehen- 
sive view  of  the  relations  between 
the  law  and  the  gospel ;  but  he 
might  use  expressions  which  they 
tortured  into  these  offensive  words. 

1.5.  Looking  steadfastly  on  him. 
His  appearance  was  such  as  to  at- 
tract their  attention.  —  Saw  his  face 
as  it  had  been  the  face  of  an  angd, 
i.  e.  beaming  with  a  shining,  glo- 
rified expression,  such  as  angels 
were  supposed  to  wear.  Gen.  xxxiii. 
10 ;  2  Sam.  xiv.  17,  xix.  27.  In- 
stances of  the  same  proverbial  phrase 
occur  in  the  Jewish  Talmuds.  It  is 
not  to  be  inferred  that  there  was 
any  thing  miraculous  here,  but  that 
Stephen  manifested  such  a  heavenly 
repose  and  dignity  before  his  infuri- 
ated enemies,  that  he  seemed  like 
an  angel.  So  far  from  any  embar- 
rassment, as  of  guilt  and  imposture, 
being  witnessed  in  his  deportment, 
he  met  his  judges  with  tlie  look  of 
assured  innocence  and  radiant  seren- 
ity, as  well  as  of  immovable  fortitude. 

We  learn  from  this  chapter  that 
prosperity  brings  its  troubles  :  when 
the  disciples  were  increased,  a  mur- 
muring arose,  ver.  1 ;  that  every  one 
should  fulfil  his  own  part  in  the  Chris- 
tian brotherhood,  some  preach  the 
word,  some  "  sei-ve  tables,"  ver.  2 ; 
that  trials  well  borne  result  in  greater 
good,  ver.  7 ;  that  "  the  voice  of  the 
people  "  is  not  always  "  the  voice  of 
God,"  especially  when  they  are  un- 
der the  o^uidance  of  interested  and 


102 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


CHAPTER   Vn. 

The  Defence  and  Martyrdom  of  Stephen. 

J- HEN  said  the  high-priest,  Are  these  things  so?    And  he  said,  2 
Men,  brethren,  and  fathers,  hearken ;  The  God  of  glory  appeared 
unto  our  father  Abraham  when  he  was  in  Mesopotamia,  before 
he  dwelt  in  Charran,  and  said  unto  him,  Get  thee  out  of  thy  3 
country,  and  from  thy  kindred,  and  come  into  the  land  which  I 


corrupt  leaders,  ver.  12;  that  true 
religion  is  eminently  fitted  to  pro- 
duce serenity  and  self-possession  in 
the  midst  of  the  most  appalling  dan- 
gers, and  to  change  the  natural  look 
of  horror  into  an  angelic  sweetness 
and  composure,  ver.  15  ;  and  that  all 
the  powers  of  men  in  vain  league 
themselves  together  to  overcome  the 
cause  of  God.  One  true  heart  is 
mightier  than  all  tiie  hosts  of  evil. 

CHAPTER   VII. 

1.  T^  high-priest  Who  was,  er 
officio,  president  of  the  Sanhedrim.  • — 
^re  these  things  so  ?  i.  e.  he  puts  Ste- 
phen upon  his  defence,  and  inquires 
whether  it  was  true,  according  to  the 
charge,  chap.  vi.  11,  13,  14,  that  he 
had  blasphemed  God  and  Moses,  the 
holy  place  and  the  law,  and  predict- 
ed the  destruction  of  the  temple  and 
the  abrogation  of  the  Jewish  worship. 

2.  Men,  brethren.  A  HebrcAv  idi- 
om, which  should  be  rendered  simply 
"  brethren,"  referring  to  his  equals 
in  age,  or  to  the  people  at  large.  — 
Fathers.  Or,  "  elders,"  members  of 
the  Sanhedrim.  —  The  God  of  glory. 
Or,  to  drop  the  Hebraism,  "  the  glo- 
rious God."  By  the  use  of  this  term, 
Stephen  expresses  his  veneration, 
and  virtually  repels  tlie  charge  of 
blasphemy.  Chap.  vi.  11. —  Our 
father  Abralutm.  The  Jews  thus 
designated  their  illustrious  ancestor. 
The  address  of  Stephen  consists  of 
a  detail  of  Jewish  history,  from  the 
time  of  Abraham  to  Solomon.  Its 
bearings  upon  the  accusation  brought 


against  him  will  be  pointed  out  at 
the  close  of  tlie  chapter.  —  Meso- 
potamia. See  note  on  chap.  ii.  9. 
Chaldea,  in  which  Abraham  is  in 
some  passages  said  to  dwell,  was 
sometimes  used  also  to  include  Mes- 
opotamia, on  which  it  bordered.  Ac- 
cording to  Gen.  xi.  28,  29,  xii.  1, 
compared  with  Gen.  xxiv.  10,  Abra- 
ham and  his  relatives  are  represented 
as  living  in  Mesopotamia. —  Char- 
ran.  Called,  in  the  Old  Testament, 
Haran,  a  city  in  the  northern  part 
of  Mesopotamia,  a  place  where  Te- 
rah  and  his  son  Abraham  abode  for 
a  season,  before  the  latter  was  called 
to  Canaan.  It  afterAvards  went  un- 
der the  name  of  Carrae,  and  was  the 
scene  of  the  overthrow  and  death  of 
Crassus,  the  Roman  general,  in  his 
war  against  the  Parthians.  Abra- 
ham is  represented  in  the  text  as 
favored  by  a  divine  revelation,  be- 
fore he  came  to  Charran ;  but  in  the 
histoiy  in  Genesis,  he  seems  to  be 
first  addressed  when  at  this  place, 
though  there  is  no  express  disclaimer 
of  previous  communications.  It  has 
been  conjectured,  by  some  interpret- 
ers, that  Stephen  followed,  here  and 
elsewhere  in  his  speech,  the  tra- 
ditionary, rather  than  tlie  recorded, 
account ;  for  the  Talmuds  and  Philo 
speak  of  God  appearing  to  Abraham 
first  in  Chaldea,  and  afterwards  in 
ChaiTan,  and  even  some  passages  of 
Scripture  favor  this  idea.  Gen.  xv. 
7  ;  Neh.  Lx.  7. 

^  3.   ^rwZ  said  unto  him,  i.  e.  in  Mes- 
opotamia, or  what  is  called  in  Gen- 


VII.] 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


108 


4  shall  show  thee.  Then  came  he  out  of  the  land  of  the  Chal- 
deans, and  dwelt  in  Charran.  And  from  thence,  when  his  father 
was  dead,  he  removed  him  into  this  land  wherein  ye  now  dwell. 

6  And  he  gave  him  none  inheritance  in  it,  no,  not  so  much  as  to 
set  his  foot  on :  yet  he  promised  that  he  would  give  it  to  him  for 
a  possession,  and  to  his  seed  after  him,  when  as  yet  he  had  no 

6  child.  And  God  spake  on  this  wise,  That  his  seed  should  so- 
journ in  a  strange  land ;  and  that  they  should  bring  them  into 


esis,  JJr  of  the  CJialdees,  and  not  at 
tlie  time  spoken  of  in  Gen.  xii.  ], 
when  he  dwelt  in  Charran.  —  Get 
thee  out  of  thy  country,  ^r.  This 
command  was  given  to  rescue  Abra- 
ham from  idolatry,  and  to  make  him 
the  head  of  a  new  race,  who  should 
worship  the  one  true  God,  and  bo 
the  depositary  of  a  new  religion  for 
tJie  world. 

4.  Land  of  the  Chaldeans,  i.  e. 
JNIesopoiamia.  Ver.  '2.  —  Dwelt  in 
Charran.  His  residence  here  is  only 
temporary,  and,  although  it  was  in  the 
aforenamed  country  from  which  he 
was  said  to  come  out,  yet  the  expres- 
sion was  used  because  he  was  on 
his  way  out  of  that  land.  —  fVlien  his 
father  ivas  dead.  Here  is  a  difficulty 
m  chronology  ;  for,  by  computations 
of  the  age  of  Terah,  the  father 
of  Abraham,  and  the  period  when 
tlie  latter  removed  from  Chan-an  to 
Canaan,  made  from  Gen.  xi.  '20,  S2, 
xii.  4,  it  would  appear  that  Terah 
was  still  living  when  his  son  emi- 
grated to  Canaan.  Many  solutions 
have  been  proposed,  as  that  Terah 
was  morally  dead  when  his  son  left 
him,  being  an  idolater ;  that  the  Sa- 
maritm  text  should  be  preferred, 
which  reads  one  hundred  and  five  in- 
stead of  tlie  present  number,  Gen.  xi. 
32;  for  errors  in  numerical  state- 
ments are  frequent;  that  Abraham 
was  not  necessarily  born  when  Te- 
rah was  seventy  years  of  age,  but 
might  have  been  the  youngest  of  the 
sons,  thoufrh  mentioned  first  on  ac- 
count of  his  distinction,  and  might 


have  been  born  long  after  the  age 
of  Terah  tliere  mentioned ;  but  the 
more  probable  explanation  is  that  of 
Bloomfield  and  others,  that  Stephen 
followed,  here  and  elsewhere,  tlie 
traditions  of  his  countiymen,  which 
were  well  known  to  his  auditors, 
though  somewhat  at  variance  with 
the  recorded  history.  —  He  removed 
him,  i.  e.  God.  —  Into  this  land,  i.  e. 
Canaan. 

5.  JVot  so  much  as  to  set  his  foot 
on.  Or,  to  use  our  term, "  not  a  foot 
of  land."  Lightfoot  remarks  "tliat 
Abraham  was  forced  to  buy.  Gen. 
xxiii.,  a  place  of  burial,  though  all 
the  land  was  given  him  by  promise." 
He  Avas  himself  a  pilgrim  and  so- 
journer, but  he  rested  with  undoubt- 
ing  faith  on  the  promises  of  God,  and 
hence  became  "  the  father  of  the 
faithful."  Gen.  xii.  7.  —  He  had  no 
child.  A  circumstance  placing  in 
greater  prominence  his  invincible 
trust  in  the  divine  covenant. 

6.  Shoidd  sojourn  in  a  strange 
land.  By  which  is  meant  the  abode 
of  the  Hebrews  in  Egypt.  —  Entreat. 
Old  FJnglisli  for  "treat" — Four  hun- 
dred years.  Gen.  xv.  13.  This  is  a 
statement  in  round  numbers  of  the  du- 
ration, both  of  the  Egyptian  bondage, 
and  of  the  preceding  abode  of  tlie  pa- 
triarchs in  the  land  of  Canaan,  which, 
exactly  computed,  would  amount  to 
about  four  hundred  and  thirty  years, 
the  same  as  stated  in  Ex.  xii.  40,  41, 
Gal.  iii.  ]  7,  and  by  Josephus  in  his  his- 
tory. The  patriarchs  dwelt  in  Canaan 
about  two  hundred  years  previously 


104 


THE   ACTS 


[Chap. 


bondage,  and  entreat  them  evil   four  hundred  years.     And  the  7 
nation  to  whom  they  shall  be  in  bondage  will  I  judge,  said  God : 
and   after   that   shall   they  come   forth,   and   serve    me  in   this 

place. And  he  gave  him  the  covenant  of  circumcision.    And  8 

so  Abraham  begat  Isaac,  and  circumcised  him  the  eighth  day ; 
and  Isaac  begat  Jacob,  and  Jacob  begat  the  twelve  patriarchs. 
And  the  patriarchs,  moved  with  envy,  sold  Joseph  into  Egypt :  but  9 
God  was  with  him,  and  delivered  him  out  of  all  his  afflictions,  and  10 
gave  him  favor  and  wisdom  in  the  sight  of  Pharaoh  king  of  Egypt ; 
and  he  made  him  governor  over  Egypt,  and  all  his  house.     Now  11 
there  came  a  dearth  over  all  the  land  of  Egypt  and  Canaan,  and 
great  affliction  ;   and  our  f  ithers  found  no  sustenance.     But  when  12 
Jacob  heard  that  there  was  corn  in  Egypt,  he  sent  out  our  fathers 
first.     And  at  the  second  time  Joseph  was  made  known  to  his  13 


to  the  emigration  into  Kgypt,  where 
their  posterity  remained  in  seiTitude 
during  two  hundred  years  longer. 

7.  JVill  I  judge.  Or,  better,  "  pun- 
ish ; "  which  prediction  w^as  fearfully 
fulfilled  by  the  plagues  related  in 
Exodus,  and  the  overthrow  of  the 
Egyptians  in  the  Red  vSea.  Indeed, 
the  accuracy  with  which  all  these  va- 
rious prophecies  were  accomplished, 
furnishes  an  irresistible  argument  in 
support  of  the  divine  authority  of 
the  Mosaic  dispensation.  —  Serve  me 
in  this  place,  i.  e.  the  descendants  of 
Abraham  would  serve  and  worship 
God  in  the  land  of  Canaan.  Com- 
pare Gen.  XV.  14  ;  Ex.  iii.  12.  This 
was  the  great  aim  of  the  Jewish  rev- 
elation —  that  the  nation,  after  a 
long  discipline  of  toils,  and  suffer- 
ings, and  teachings,  should  be  estab- 
lished, in  the  land  of  Canaan,  in  the 
pure  worship  of  the  one  God  ;  and 
thus  become  an  instrument,  diffusing 
abroad  that  fundamental  doctrine  in 
all  tlie  earth,  and  preparing  the  way 
for  more  advanced  revelations  of  spir- 
itual truth. 

8.  The  covenant  of  circiimcisio7i. 
Gen.  xvii.  4-10.  "  Circumcision  was 
the  token  of  the  covenant,  which 
God  made  with  Abraham   and  his 


posterity.  This  covenant  or  compact 
consisted  of  a  promise  from  God  that 
he  would  be  their  God,  and  an  agree- 
ment, which  was  ratified  by  the  rite 
of  circumcision  on  their  part,  that 
they  would  be  his  people. — ^Ind  so, 
^-c.  i.  e.  "  in  virtue,"  according  to 
Bloomfield,  of  that  covenant.  —  'The 
twelve  patriarchs.  So  called  because 
they  were  the  heads  of  the  twelve 
Jewish  tribes. 

9.  Moved  ivith  envy.  Gen.  xxxvii. 
4,  ]  1,  28.  They  we're  jealous  of  the 
favor  wdth  which  their  father  treated 
his  youngest  son.  —  But  God  was 
ivith  him.  Notwithstanding  he  was 
deserted  by  those  most  nearly  con- 
nected by  the  ties  of  kindred,  and 
sold  into  a  foreign  land  as  a  common 
slave,  he  Avas  under  the  guidance 
and  protection  of  that  higher  Power 
"  w^ho  shapes  our  ends,  rough  hew 
them  as  v/e  will."  Gen.  xxxix.  2, 21, 
23,  xlv.  7,  8. 

10.  Deliverel  him,  &"c.  Gen.  xli. 
Joseph  was  wonderfully  preserved 
and  elevated  to  power  for  the  good 
of  his  fiimily  and  nation. 

1 1  - 18.  See  Gen.  xli.  -  xlv.  —  A 
dearth.  Famines  were  more  frequent 
in  the  early  ages,  before  the  arts  of 
agriculture  were  improved,  or  the  fa- 


VII.] 


UF  THE   APOSTLES. 


106 


brethren  :  and  Joseph's  kindred  was  made  known  unto  Pharaoh. 
H  Then  sent  Joseph,  and  called  his  father  Jacob  to  him,  and  all  his 

15  kindred,  threescore  and  fifteen  souls.     So  Jacob  went  down  into 

16  Egypt,  and  died,  he,  and  our  fathers,  and  were  carried  over  into 
Sychem,  and  laid  in  the  sepulchre  that  Abraham  bought  for  a 
sum  of  money  of  the  sons  of  Emmor,  the  father  of  Sychem. 


cilities  of  commerce  established  be- 
tween different  nations.  —  Great  af- 
Jliction.  The  natural  consequence 
of  the  severe  famine.  The  story  of 
Joseph  and  his  brethren  is  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  and  life-like  histories 
in  the  literature  of  the  world.  —  JVo 
sustenance.  Not  even  of  a  coarser 
kind,  as  the  word  in  the  original  im- 
plies. —  Corn^  i.  e.  grain  of  any  spe- 
cies, as  maize,  wheat.  —  Joseph  was 
made  known.  Or,  made  himself 
known. 

14.  Threescore  and  ffleen  souls. 
This  number  conflicts  with  Gen.  xlvi. 
26,  27 ;  Ex.  i.  5 ;  Deut  x.  22,  where 
Jacob  and  his  posterity  are  said  to 
be  seventy,  at  the  time  of  the  emi- 
gration into  Egypt.  The  Septuagint 
version,  however,  records  seventy- 
five,  in  harmony  with  the  present 
text  To  make  out  this  number, 
some  would  include  the  wives  of  Ja- 
cob's sons ;  but  the  better  explana- 
tion is  found  in  the  fact  that  the  de- 
scendants of  Joseph,  though  not  em- 
igrants from  Canaan,  belonged  to 
the  sum  total  of  Jacob's  posterity, 
and  are  so  recorded  by  the  Septua- 
gint in  Gen.  xlvi.  27,  where,  instead 
of  the  number  two,  in  Hebrew  it 
reads  nine,  i.  e.  Joseph  and  his  wife, 
their  two  sons,  Manasseh  and  Ephra- 
im,  and  their  five  grandsons,  men- 
tioned in  1  Chron.  vii.  14  -  21,  Ash- 
riel,  Machir,  Zelophehad,  Peresh, 
sons  of  Manasseh;  and  Shuthelah, 
son  of  Ephraim.  Stephen  perhaps 
intimates  the  vast  growth  of  the  na- 
tion from  such  small  beginnings,  as 
an  implied  justification  of  the  feeble- 
ness of  the  Christian  cause  at  first. 


15,  16.  So  Jacob  went  down,  S^c. 
Compare  Gen.  xlvi. —  Wei'e  carried 
over  into  Sychem.  Elsewhere  called 
Shechem,  and  Sychar,  a  city  of  Sa- 
maria. Josh.  xxiv.  32 ;  John  iv.  5. 
Its  present  name  is  JVabulus.  Jose- 
phus,  in  his  Antiquities,  represents 
the  brethren  of  Joseph  to  have  been 
buried  at  Hebron;  but  the  Jewish 
Rabbins,  and  also  Jerome,  agree  with 
Stephen,  in  assigning  Shechem  as 
their  burial-place.  —  That  Abraham 
bought,  ^c.  Contrary  to  this  state- 
ment, we  are  informed  in  Gen.  xxiii. 
that  Abraham  bought  the  cave  and 
field  of  Ephron  the  Hittite,  which 
was  in  Machpelah,  before  Mamre; 
whereas  the  bargain  with  the  sons 
of  Emmor,  the  faSier  of  Sichem,  was 
made  by  Jacob.  Gen.  xxxiii.  18,  19. 
To  account  for  this  error,  some  crit- 
ics concur  in  the  opinion  that  Abra- 
ham was  introduced  by  some  tran- 
scriber without  authority,  and  that 
the  true  nominative  is  he,  referring 
to  Jacob  in  ver.  15,  who  is  last  men- 
tioned. But  the  Abbotts,  in  their 
notes  on  the  New  Testament,  remark 
that "  This  is  another  of  the  instances 
in  which  Stephen's  account  appears 
not  to  correspond  with  the  Mosaic 
history,  and  of  which  no  satisfactory 
explanation  has  yet  beengiven.  The 
necessity  of  finding  such  explana- 
tion depends  upon  the  question,  whe- 
ther we  consider  this  address  of 
Stephen  as  divinely  inspired.  The 
sacred  writers  often  record  the  dis- 
courses of  uninspired  men."  See, 
also,  Barnes  on  tliis  verse  to  the 
same  effect.  —  Emmor.  In  Hebrew, 
Hamor.     Gen.  xxxiv.  18. 


106 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


But  when  the  time  of  the  promise  drew  nigh,  which  God  had  17 
sworn  to  Abraham,  the  people  grew  and  multiplied  in  Egypt,  till  18 
another  king  arose,  which  knew  not  Joseph.     The  same  dealt  19 
subtly  with  our  kindred,  and  evil-entreated  our  fathers,  so  that 
they  cast  out  their  young  children,  to  the  end  they  might  not 

live. In  which  time   Moses  was  born,  and  was  exceeding  20 

fair,  and  nourished  up  in  his  father's  house  three  months :  and  21 
when  he  was  cast  out,  Pharaoh's  daughter  took   him  up,  and 
nourished  him  for  her  own  son.     And  Moses  was  learned  in  all  22 


17-19.  The  time  of  ike  promise^ 
i.  e.  fulfilment  of  the  promise,  that 
they  should  be  released  from  bond- 
age, and  enter  into  the  inheritance 
of  Canaan,  the  promised  land.  Gen. 
xii.  7,  XV.  14,  16.  —  Greiv  and  multi- 
plied. See  Ex.  i.  7  - 12.  —  Jlnother 
king  arose.  His  name  is  only  mat- 
ter of  conjecture.  —  Knew  not  Jo- 
seph. Ex.  i.  8.  The  probable  sense 
is,  "  did  not  care  for  him,"  or  "  re- 
garded not  the  memory  of  his  bene- 
fits." Joseph  at  this  time  was  dead, 
but  the  reigning  monarch  did  not  re- 
member his  service  to  the  country, 
and  continue  to  his  kindred  the  fa- 
vors enjoyed  under  the  previous  reign. 
—  Dealt  subtly,  i.  e.  insidiously, 
deceitfully,  Ex.  i.  10,  "  wisely,"  in  a 
bad  sense.  —  So  that  they  cast  out,  &fc. 
Besides  expressly  ordering  the  death 
of  the  male  children,  Ex.  i.  16,  18, 
22,  the  policy  of  the  cruel  monarch 
was,  to  grind  the  Israelites  with  so 
severe  a  bondage,  that  they  would 
prefer  to  abandon  their  children  to 
destruction,  rather  than  seQ  tliem 
live  to  be  the  most  abject  slaves. — 
They  might  not  live,  i.  e.  the  young 
children.  The  custom  of  infanticide 
is  one  of  the  marks  of  the  lowest 
condition  of  humanity,  among  savage 
and  barbarous  nations.  Life  is  held 
so  cheap,  and  is  so  wretched,  that  tJie 
parents  choose  death  for  th^ir  off- 
spring, as  the  more  desirable  lot  In 
some  Eastern  tribes,  birth  is  an  oc- 
casion of  lamentation,  and  death  of 
joy  and  festivity. 


20,  21.  Was  exceeding  fair.  Lit- 
erally, "  fair  to  God."  As  tlie  He- 
brews had  no  superlative  degree  for 
their  adjectives,  they  attached  to 
them  the  word  God  to  give  intensity 
of  meaning.  Thus,  very  high  moun- 
tains were  called  the  mountains  of 
God,  Ps.  XXX vi.  6 ;  lofty  cedars,  the 
cedars  of  God,  Ps.  Ixxx.  10 ;  a  vehe- 
ment flame,  a  flame  of  God,  Cant 
viii.  6 ;  a  very  great  city,  a  city  of 
God,  Jon.  iii.  3.  See,  also,  2  Cor.  x.  4. 
The  idea  would  seem  to  be,  what 
was  great,  or  beautiful,  or  lofty,  even 
before  God,  who  truly  knows  what 
possesses  these  qualities.  We  em- 
ploy the  words  "  divine  "  and  "  di- 
vinely "  to  heighten  the  force  of  our 
expressions.  Heb.  xi.  23.  Jose- 
phus  also  calls  Moses  "  a  youth  of 
divine  beauty ;"  and,  in  another  place, 
says,  "  No  one  could  look  at  him  with- 
out being  struck  with  his  beauty, 
and  unable  to  take  his  eyes  off"  from 
him."  —  In  his  father's  house  three 
months.  He  was  secretly  presen'ed 
during  that  time,  Ex.  ii.  2,  3 ;  and, 
when  concealment  Avas  no  longer 
possible,  he  was  exposed  in  an  ark 
of  bulrushes  by  the  brink  of  the  riv- 
er Nile.  —  JVourished  him  for  her 
own  son.  Or,  caused  him  to  be 
taken  care  of  and  educated  as  her 
own  son,  though  by  his  own  mother. 
Ex.  ii.  8-10. 

29.  Learned  in  all  the  wisdom  of 
the  Egyptians,  i.  e.  he  was  trained  or 
educated  in  all  their  wisdom.  What 
this  consisted  of  is  stated  by  vari- 


VII.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


107 


the  wisdom  of  the  Egyptians,  and  was  mighty  in  words  and  in 

23  deeds.     And  when  he  was  full  forty  years  old,  it  came  into  his 

24  heart  to  visit  his  brethren  the  children  of  Israel.  And  seeing 
one  of  them  suffer  wrong,  he  defended  him,  and  avenged  him 

25  that  was  oppressed,  and  smote  the  Egyptian :  for  he  supposed  his 
brethren  would  have  understood  how  that  God  by  his  hand  would 

26  deliver  them :  but  they  understood  not.  And  the  next  day  he 
showed  himself  unto  them  as  they  strove,  and  would  have  set 
them  at  one  again,  saying.  Sirs,  ye  are  brethren;   why  do  ye 


ous  ancient  authors ;  as,  arithmetic, 
music,  astronomy,  astrology,  medi- 
cine, geometry,  hieroglyphics,  poetry, 
physics  and  metaphysics,  and  ethics. 
Egypt  was  universally  regarded  and 
called  the  mother  of  the  arts  and 
sciences.  Ancient  civilization  took 
its  rise  in  that  country,  and  was 
thence  spread  abroad  throujjhGreece, 
Rome,  and  other  lands.  The  works 
of*  skill  and  power  which  still  exist 
there,  the  pyramids,  catacombs,  and 
temples,  excite  the  wonder  and  ad- 
miration of  the  traveller.  The  Jewish 
Rabbins  said,  "  that,  of  the  ten  por- 
tions of  wisdom  which  came  into  the 
world,  the  Egyptians  had  niney  and 
that  all  the  other  inhabitants  of  the 
earth  had  only  the  remaining  por- 
tion." The  Scriptures  recognize  the 
eminent  wisdom  of  this  people.  See 
1  Kings  iv.  30;  and  Is.  xix.  11-13. 
—  Mighty  in  words  and  in  deeds. 
Although  Moses  disclaimed  any 
ability  as  a  fluent  orator,  Ex.  iv.  10, 
yet  that  he  was  mighty  in  words,  as 
an  inspired  propliet  and  leader,  as  a 
counsellor  as  well  as  actor  in  the 
most  remarkable  scenes,  is  suffi- 
ciently proved  by  his  wise  laws  and 
by  the  Pentateuch,  written  by  him ; 
and,  as  some  writers  have  conjec- 
tured, by  the  authorship  of  the  book 
of  Job.  Respecting  his  deeds,  Jo- 
sephus,  in  his  Antiquities,  relates  a 
story  of  Moses'  leading  the  Egyptian 
army  in  a  war  against  the  Ethio- 
pians, Avho  had  invaded  thfnr  territo- 
ry, and  obtaining  a  complete  victory 


over  the  enemy,  and  talcing  the  capi- 
tal city,  Saba,  or  Meroe.  But,  inde- 
pendently of  any  such  tradition,  his 
miracles  in  Egypt,  Ex.  vii.  -  xii.,  and 
his  guidance  of  the  Israelites  through 
the  sea  and  the  wilderness,  justify 
the  epiihet  of  the  text  Heb.  xi.  23 
-29. 

23,  24.  Full  fortv  years  old.  The 
Jews  had  a  saying  that  "  Moses  was 
forty  years  in  Pharaoh's  palace,  forty 
years  in  Midian,  and  forty  years  in 
tiie  wilderness."  Ver.  30.  Stephen 
follows  tradition  here  and  in  otlier 
places.  —  It  came  into  his  heart  How 
far  he  was  as  yet  conscious  of  the 
part  he  was  to  take  as  a  deliverer 
of  the  Hebrews,  and  author  of  a  new 
system  of  religion,  does  not  appear; 
but  some  foreshadowing  of  the  fu- 
ture was  present  to  his  mind,  accord- 
ing to  ver.  25.  —  To  visit.  With  a 
view  to  learn  their  condition  and  re- 
dress their  wrongs. —  Suffer  icrong. 
As  the  Hebrews  were  in  the  most 
abject  servitude,  he  soon  found  ob- 
jects for  his  compassion  and  inter- 
position. Ex.  ii.  11, 12.  His  zeal  burst 
out  in  open  acts  of  violence  against 
the  oppressor.  We  here  behold  the 
fire  of  that  spirit  which  afterwards 
kindled  the  whole  nation,  emitting 
its  first  flames.  —  Smote^  i.  e.  killed 
the  Egyptian. 

25  -  28.  Understood  Jww  that  God, 
S^'c.  This  is  a  tradition,  or  an  infer- 
ence of  the  speaker.  As  God  had 
pro.Tiised  that  they  should  be  deliv- 
ered from  their  bondage  ;  when  they 


108 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


wrong  one  to  another?  But  he  that  did  his  neighbor  wrong,  27 
thrust  him  away,  saying,  Who  made  thee  a  ruler  and  a  judge 
over  us  ?  Wilt  thou  kill  me,  as  thou  didst  the  Egyptian  yester-  23 
day  1  Then  fled  Moses  at  this  saying,  and  was  a  stranger  in  the  29 
land  of  Madian,  where  he  begat  two  sons.  And  when  forty  years  30 
were  expired,  there  appeared  to  him  in  the  wilderness  of  Mount 


saw  one  so  high  in  station  and  influ- 
ence as  Moses  taking  their  part,  they 
might  naturally  conclude  that  the 
day  of  deliverance  was  at  hand;  but 
slavery  and  woe  had  cast  them  into 
gloom  and  despair.  They  ceased  to 
hope.  —  They  strove.  Ex.  ii.  13.  Two 
Hebrews  were  now  in  a  quarrel.  — 
Set  them  at  one,  i.  e.  pacified  them, 
composed  their  difficulties.  The 
words  at  one  are  sometimes  formed 
into  one  term,  atoiie,  and  used  by 
early  writers  with  the  sense,  to  make 
one,  or  to  make  to  agree.  Hence  the 
word  atonement,  at-one-ment,  at  or  in 
one  mind ;  reconciliation,  harmony. 
Rom.  V.  11.  —  Sirs,  ye  are  brethren, 
a^c.  Beautiful  reasoning!  Excel- 
lent conclusion  from  noble  premises ! 
Since  men,  to  enlarge  the  statement 
beyond  all  sectional  and  national 
limits,  are  all  brethren,  why  should 
they  quarrel  and  make  war  against 
one  another  ?  Why  should  they  bite 
and  devour  one  another  ?  Why 
should  they  not  recognize  their  broth- 
erhood with  one  another,  and  their 
common  sonship  to  God  ?  Why 
should  they  nut  act  on  that  just  pre- 
cept, "  Each  for  all,  and  all  for 
each"  ?  In  the  midst  of  jarring  in- 
terests, sects,  parties,  and  nations, 
let  the  mild  voice  of  Christian  love 
be  heard,  adopting  the  sentiment  of 
even  an  earlier  faith,  «  Sirs,  ye  are 
brethren ;  why  do  ye  wrong  one  to 
another  ?  " —  Who  made  thee,  ^t.  The 
usual  recompense  of  blame  f  )r  tlie 
peacemaker.  Gen.  xix.  9;  Luke  xii. 
14.  It  is  a  touch  of  nature,  that  this 
repulse  came  from  the  injurer,  and 
not  the  injured.  He  that  is  con- 
scious in  his  own  heart  of  wroirT-, 


first  becomes  angry.  —  jis  thou  didst, 
^'c.  The  news  had  been  spread  a- 
broad  of  the  event  of  the  day  before. 

29.  Then  fed  Moses,  &fc.  Ex.  ii. 
14,  15.  Thus  learning  that  the  af- 
fair had  become  public,  he  fled  from 
the  vengeance  of  Pharaoh.  —  fVas  a 
stranger.  Or,  "  a  sojourner,"  a  tem- 
porary dweller.  —  Madian.  Or  Mid- 
ian,  a  district  of  Arabia,  so  called 
from  Midian,  a  son  of  Abraham. 
Gen.  XXV.  2.  This  territory  extend- 
ed along  the  eastern  shore  of  the 
Red  Sea,  and  reached  as  far  as 
Mount  Smai  and  the  borders  of  Mt)- 
ab.  Ex.  iii.  1,  xviii.  5;  Num.  xxxi. ; 
Judg.  vi.  -  viii.  The  Midianites  af- 
terwards became  powerful  enemies 
to  the  Hebrews.  —  Two  sons.  Moses 
married  Zipporah,  the  daughter  of 
Reuel,  or  Jethro,  a  Midianite  priest, 
by  whom  he  had  two  sons,  Gershom 
and  Eliezer.     Ex.  ii.  15  -  22. 

30.  When  forty  years,  ^'c.  See 
ver.  23.  Moses  was  at  this  time 
eighty  years  old.  Man,  in  his  im- 
patience, might  regard  the  Provi- 
dence of  God  as  too  long  delaying 
its  interposition  ;  but  the  Almighty 
was  slowly  preparing  the  way  for 
the  triumphant  deliverance  of  his 
people,  by  the  instrumentality  of 
one  who  was  long  buried  in  obscu- 
rity in  the  heart  of  an  Arabian  wil- 
derness. It  is  the  dictate  of  Chris- 
tian faith  and  hope  to  behold  the 
day  slowly,  but  surely,  approaching, 
when  every  chiin  of  slavery  shall 
be  broken  in  every  region  of  the 
earth.  —  Mo U7it  Sina.  This  account 
is  reconciled  with  Ex.  iii.  1,  by  the 
fact  that  the  same  mountain  had  two 
peaks ;    one  called  Horeb,  and  the 


VIL] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


109 


31  Sina,  an  angel  of  the  Lord  in  a  flame  of  fire  in  a  bush.  When 
Moses  saw  it,  he  wondered  at  the  sight ;  and  as  he  drew  near  to 

32  behold  it,  the  voice  of  the  Lord  came  unto  him,  saying,  I  am  the 
God  of  thy  fathers,  the  God  of  Abraham,  and  the  God  of  Isaac, 
and  the  God  of  Jacob.     Then  Moses  trembled,  and  durst  not 

33  behold.     Then  said  the  Lord  to  him,  Put  off  thy  shoes  from  thy 

34  feet:  for  the  place  where  thou  standest  is  holy  ground.  I  have 
seen,  I  have  seen  the  aflfliction  of  my  people  which  is  in  Egypt, 
and  I  have  heard  their  groaning,  and  am  come  down  to  deliver 

35  them.  And  now  come,  I  will  send  thee  into  Egypt.  This  Moses, 
whom  they  refused,  saying.  Who  made  thee  a  ruler  and  a  judge  1 
the  same  did  God  send  to  he  a  ruler  and  a  deliverer  by  the  hand 


other  Sinai.  Hence  the  two  terms 
■were  used  interchangeably.  Rob- 
inson, in  his  Biblical  Researches, 
comes  to  the  conclusion  that  Horeb 
was  originally  the  general  name  for 
the  who^e  cluster  of  mountains,  and 
Sinai  that  of  a  particular  summit; 
but  that,  in  subsequent  times,  as  in 
the  New  Testament,  Josephus,  and 
other  writers,  Sinai  became  the  gen- 
eral, and  Horeb  the  specific,  desig- 
nation. —  An  angel  of  the  Lord  in  a 
flame,  &,-c.  We  here  learn  that  by 
an  angel  is  meant  any  manifestation 
of  the  divine  presence  or  power,  as 
in  a  dream,  a  voice,  a  vision,  a  wind, 
a  fire.  Ex.  iii.  2,  4.  It  appears  that 
the  voice  is  represented  as  coming 
from  God  himself.  The  appearance 
was  brilliant  and  splendid,  as  of  a 
flaming;  fire  ;  though  not  literally  a 
fire,  for  the  bush  was  not  consumed. 
There  is  no  evidence  Avhatever,  as 
some  assert,  tliat  the  angel  of  the 
Lord  here  and  elsewhere  spoken  of 
was  the  Messiah. 

31.  fVondersd.  That  the  bush  was 
not  consumed.     Ex.  iii.  2,  3. 

32.  /  am  the  God  of  thy  fathers,  &,'c. 
By  which  it  was  intimated  that  the 
covenant  made  with  them  was  re- 
membered, and  would  be  fulfilled. 

33.  Put  offthij  shoes  from  thy  fed, 
^'c.  In  the  East,  contrary  to  our  man- 
ners, it  is  a  token  of  respect  to  uncov- 

VOL.   III.  10 


er  the  feet,  but  of  disrespect  to  un- 
cover the  head.  Worshippers  took 
off"  their  shoes  or  sandals  before  en- 
tering a  temple,  and  suppliants  be- 
fore they  entered  the  presence  of  a 
king.  —  Is  holy  ground.  This  com- 
mand naturally  impressed  the  mind  of 
Moses  with  a  solemn  sense  of  venera- 
tion for  the  Almighty,  who  seemingly 
appeared  to  him  here  for  tlie  first  time. 

34.  /  have  seen,  I  have  seen.  Repe- 
tition implies  energy  of  emotion.  "  I 
have  surely  seen."  Comp.  Ex.  iii.  7. 
—  Am  come  down  to  deliver  them.  As 
God  is  an  omnipresent  Spirit,  he  is 
in  one  place  as  much  as  another,  or, 
to  use  the  rather  quaint  expression, 
"  His  centre  is  every  where,  his  cir- 
cumference nowhere."  But  to  accom- 
modate his  language  to  the  material 
conceptions  of  men,  he  represents 
himself  as  moving  from  place  to  place. 

35.  Whom  they  refused.  Stephen 
would  intimate  tliat,  as  the  rejection 
of  Moses  by  his  countrymen  Avas  no 
evidence  against  his  divine  mission, 
so  the  fact  that  .Tesus  was  crucified 
conflicted  not  with  his  being  the 
Messiah.  It  was  a  strong  argument. 
— A  ruler.  Or,  military  leader  and 
governor.  —  Deliverer.  Literally,  ran- 
somor,  redeemer.  Moses  ransomed 
or  redeemed  the  children  of  Israel, 
by  the  sacrifice  and  consecration  of 
himself,  and  all  his  faculties  and  en- 


110  THE  ACTS  [Chap. 

of  the  angel  which  appeared  to  him  in  the  bush.     He  brought  36 
them  out,  after  that  he  had  showed  wonders  and  signs  in  the  land 
of  Egypt,  and  in  the  Red  Sea,  and  in  the  wilderness  forty  years. 
This  is  that  Moses,  which  said  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  A  37 
Prophet  shall  the  Lord   your  God  raise  up  unto   you  of  your 
brethren,  like  unto  me;    him  shall  ye  hear.     This  is  he,  that  38 
was  in  the  church  in  the  wilderness  with  the  angel  which  spake 
to  him  in  the  Mount  Sina,  and  with  our  fathers  :    who  received 
the  lively  oracles  to  give  unto  us:    to  whom  our  fathers  would  39 
not  obey,  but  thrust  him  from  them,  and  in  their  hearts  turned 
back  again  into  Egypt,  saying  unto  Aaron,  Make  us  gods  to  go  40 
before  us :   for  as  for  this  Moses,  which  brought  us  out  of  the 


ergies,  to  deliver  them  from  the 
bonda2:e  of  Egypt,  and  lead  them 
into  the  promised  land.  He  ran- 
somed the  captive  Hebrews  by  pay- 
ing no  price,  except  that  of  his  oAvn 
"  labors,  dangers,  and  sufferings." 

36.  He  brought  them  out.  This 
very  Moses,  Avhom  they  rejected, 
was  the  grand  instrument  of  their 
deliverance.  —  Wonders  and  signs. 
The  same  terms  are  applied  to  the 
miracles  of  Moses  as  to  those  of 
Christ.  Chap.  ii.  22.  —  £^/;?f.  The 
miracles  there  consisted  of  the  ten 
plagues,  brought  upon  Pharaoh  and 
his  people,  for  refusing  to  dismiss 
the  Hebrews.  —  In  the  Red  Sea. 
Which  lies  between  Arabia  and 
Egypt,  and  is  about  1400  miles  long. 
It  is  so  called  by  reason  of  a  reddish 
tinge  to  its  waters  from  some  sea 
plant.  The  waters  were  parted  for 
tlie  passage  of  Moses  and  his  host, 
but  closed  upon  tlieir  pursuers  and 
overwhelmed  them.  —  In  the  wilder- 
ness. The  pillar  of  fire  by  night, 
and  cloud  by  day,  the  descent  of 
manna  and  quails,  and  the  drawing 
of  streams  of  living  water  from  a 
rock,  were  some  of  the  "  wonders 
and  signs,"  in  their  journey  in  the 
wilderness.  —  Forty  years.  This  long 
wandering  was  designed  to  purify 
the  Hebrews  from  their  idolatrous 
propensities,  and  prepare  them  for 
their  inheritance  in  Canaan. 


37.  This  is  thai  Moses,  ^c.  The 
very  same  Moses  predicted  the  com- 
ing of  that  Messiah  whom  you,  in 
imitation  of  tlie  disobedience  of  your 
fathers,  have  rejected  and  destroyed. 
—  Jl  prophet,  &fc.  See  notes  on 
chap.  iii.  22,  23  ;  Deut.  xviii.  15. 

38.  This  is  he.  Another  emphatic 
reference  to  Moses.  —  The  churchy 
Or,  the  assembly ;  or,  body  of  Israel- 
ites. The  word  is  not  to  be  under- 
stood in  our  sense  of  a  church. — 
The  lively  oracles.  Better,  tlie  li^ng 
or  life-giving  oracles,  in  reference  to 
the  life  which  they  imparted  to  the 
soul.  It  was  promised  to  the  obe- 
dient, that  their  lives  should  be  pro- 
longed in  the  land  of  Canaan.  Lev. 
xviii.  5  ;  Deut  xxxii.  47.  The  term 
oracles  was  used  by  tlie  ancients  to 
describe  the  responses  or  commu- 
nications from  their  gods ;  and  the 
same  word  is  here  employed  for  the 
divine  instructions  to  the  Hebrews. 
The  revelations  of  God  eminently 
deserved  the  epithet  life-giving,  for 
they  call  into  healthy  exercise  and 
progress  the  higher  and  nobler  facul- 
ties of  the  human  constitution,  and 
confer  what  may  truly  be  called  life, 
happiness,  blessedness.  John  vi.  63, 
X.  10. 

39.  40.  Our  fathers  ivould  not  obey. 
The  perversity  of  the  Israelites  is 
arrayed  in  darker  colors,  when  con- 
trasted with  tlie  honors  which  were 


VIL] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


Ill 


41  land  of  Egypt,  we  wot  not  what  is  become  of  him.  And  they 
made  a  calf  in  those  days,  and  offered  sacrifice  unto  the  idol,  and 

42  rejoiced  in  the  works  of  their  own  hands.  Then  God  turned, 
and  gave  them  up  to  worship  the  host  of  heaven ;  as  it  is  written 
in  the  book  of  the  prophets,  O  ye  house  of  Israel,  have  ye  offered 
to  me  slain  beasts  and  sacrifices  by  the  space  of  forty  years  in 

45  the  wilderness?  Yea,  ye  took  up  the  tabernacle  of  Moloch, 
and  the  star  of  your  god  Remphan,  figures  which  ye  made  to 
worship  them:  and  I  will  carry  you  away  beyond  Babylon. 


lavished  upon  Moses  by  the  Almigh- 
ty, as  their  ruler  and  deliverer,  the 
receiver  of  the  law,  and  the  founder 
of  a  new  dispensation  of  religion. 
Stephen  would  virtually  draw  tlie 
inference  tliat,  as  were  their  ances- 
tors, so  were  they,  stiff-necked  and 
faithless.  —  In  their  hearts  turned 
hack.  Not  that  they  desired  to  re- 
sume the  yoke  of  bondage,  but  they 
yearned  after  the  habits,  and  idola- 
tries, and  sensual  enjoyments  of 
Egypt.  Ex.  xvi.  3 ;  Num.  xi.  5.  — 
Make  us  gods,  i.  e.  idolatrous  images ; 
for  it  was  customary  for  many  tribes 
to  carry,  w^hen.  going  to  war,  or 
taking  a  journey,  idols,  which  were 
thought  to  give  success  to  tlieir  en- 
terprises. —  As  for  this  Moses,  8fc. 
An  expression  of  contempt.  —  TVe 
wot  not.  Old  English  for  "  we  know 
not" 

41.  They  made  a  calf.  Ex.  xxxii. 
We  here  find  them  already  adopting 
the  Egyptian  idolatry,  notAvithstand- 
ing  the  wonders  and  signs  througli 
which  they  had  passed;  for  the  prin- 
cipal divinity  in  that  country  was 
Apis,  worshipped  under  the  form  of 
an  ox,  selected  Avith  great  care,  and 
containing  certain  peculiar  marks.  — 
Offered  sacrifice,  &fc.  They  readily 
adopted  the  idolatrous  solemnities 
and  festivities  of  the  nation,  from 
which  they  had  just  been  delivered. 

42.  To  tvorship  the  host  of  heaven. 
A  prevalent  form  of  Orient  il  idolatry 
was  Zabaism,  or  the  worship  of  the 
heavenly  bodies,  the  sun,  moon,  and 


stars.  —  In  the  book  of  the  prophets. 
Amos  V.  25  -  27.  Stephen  cites  tlie 
prophets  to  confirm  his  statements. 
The  twelve  minor  prophets,  from 
Hosea  to  Malachi,  were  included  in 
one  book  by  the  Jews.  —  Have  ye 
offered,  &cc.  Implying  that  they  had 
not  offered  sacrifices,  or  had  mingled 
them  with  heathen  rites,  or  had  wor- 
shipped God  in  form,  but  not  in  deed 
and  truth. 

43.  Yea.  Better  rendered,  "  nay." 
So  far  from  their  uniformly  rendering 
an  acceptable  worship  to  God,  they 
even  plunged  into  the  grossest  forms 
of  heathen  idolatry.  —  Took  up.  Or, 
bore  about ;  in  allusion  to  the  man- 
ner in  which  the  images  of  heathen 
gods  are  carried  round  in  proces- 
sions, being  placed  aloft,  to  be  seen 
and  worshipped  by  the  devotees.  — 
The  tabernacle.  Or,  case  ;  or,  shrine  ; 
intended  to  contain  the  statue  of  the 
god.  —  Moloch.  Derived  from  the 
Hebrew  Avord  meaning  king,  and 
generally  supposed  to  signify  the 
sun,  one  of  the  host  of  heaven,  ver. 
42,  which  Avas  AA'orshipped  by  Orien- 
tal idolaters.  It  is  evident  that  the 
IlebrcAvs  were  at  various  periods 
addicted  to  the  worship  of  this  idol. 
See  Lev.  xviii.  21,  xx.  2  -  5  ;  Deut 
xii.  31,  xviii.  10  ;  1  Kings  xi.  7 ;  2 
Kings  xvi.  3,  xxi.  .3,  6 ;  Ps.  cvi.  37, 
38  ;  Jer.  vii.  31.  The  folloAving 
description  of  tliis  idol  and  its  wor- 
ship is  quoted  by  Lightfoot  from 
the  Rabbins,  in  their  comment  on 
2  Kings  xxiii.  10  :    "  His  face  was 


lis 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


Our  fathers  had  the  tabernacle  of  witness  in  the  wilderness,  as  44 
he  had  appointed,  speaking  unto  Moses,  that  he  should  make  it 
according  to  the  fashion  that  he  had   seen.      Which   also  our  45 
fathers,  that  came  after,  brought  in  with  Jesus  into  the  posses- 
sion of  the  Gentiles,  whom  God  drave  out  before  the  face  of  our 


like  a  calf,  and  his  hands  were 
stretched  out  as  a  man's  that  reach- 
eth  out  to  receive  something  from 
his  neighbor.  He  was  made  of 
brass,  and  was  heated  with  fire 
under,  till  he  was  glowing  hot;  and 
then  tlie  priests  put  the  child  into 
his  arms,  and  there  he  was  burnt ; 
and  tlie  priests  made  a  noise  in  the 
mean  while  with  drums,  that  the  fa- 
ther might  not  hear  the  child's  cry ; 
and  therefore  it  was  called  '  Tophet,' 
from  '  Toph,'  a  '  drum  or  tahor.'  "  — 
The  star.  Which,  Priestley  remarks, 
shows  that  the  deity  which  was  rep- 
resented was  one  of  the  host  of 
heaven. — Your  god  Remphan.  Called 
Chiun  in  Amos  v.  26.  The  latter 
was  probably  the  Syrian,  the  former 
the  Egyptian,  name ;  representing,  as 
is  conjectured,  the  planet  Saturn. 
Zabaism,  or  the  worship  of  the  heav- 
enly bodies,  prevailed  among  many 
Eastern  nations,  —  Figures.  Liter- 
ally, types,  representations,  images. 
—  And  1  will  carry  you  away.  This 
was  the  retribution  which  would 
overtake  them,  for  departing  from 
the  worship  of  the  true  God.  —  Be- 
yond Babylon.  Amos  writes,  "  be- 
yond Damascus."  The  scope  of  the 
sense  is  the  same  in  both  cases  ;  for 
both  are  statements  that  they  should 
be  carried  away  as  exiles  into  for- 
eign countries  of  tlie  East.  Many 
of  the  Jews  were,  in  point  of  fact, 
transported  beyond  Babylon  into  As- 
syria and  Media.  2  Kings  xvii.  6. 
Stephen  would  apparently  remind  his 
prejudiced  hearers  of  the  lapses  of 
their  fathers,  and  the  frightful  calam- 
ities which  followed  their  rebellion. 

44.  The  tabernacle  of  witness.   Or, 
of  testimony   that  God    was   with 


them.  The  tabernacle  of  God  is 
contrasted  with  the  tabernacle  of 
Moloch.  Ver.  43.  As  the  Hebrew 
religion  was  a  theocracy,  in  which 
God  was  the  king,  and  the  priests 
and  Levites  were  his  ministers  and 
courtiers,  the  tabernacle  was  in  the 
place  of  the  royal  tent,  in  which  the 
sovereign  communicated,  through 
his  servants,  with  the  people,  and 
where  his  tables  of  commandments 
were  kept,  and  his  honor  dwelt  Ex. 
xxix.  42,  43.  —  Jls  he  had  appointed, 
i.  e.  God.  —  SJi02dd  make  it  accord- 
ing to  the  fashion,  ^*c.  We  learn, 
from  Ex.  xxv.  9,  40,  xxvi.  30 ;  Heb. 
viii.  5,  that  a  model  was  given  him, 
according  to  which  the  tabernacle 
was  to  be  constructed.  Stephen  had 
testified  his  respect  for  Moses  and 
the  law ;  he  now  proceeds  to  vindi- 
cate his  regard,  indirectly,  for  the 
tabernacle  and  the  temple,  the  holy 
places  of  their  nation. 

45.  Our  fathers  that  came  ajler. 
Josh.  iii.  14.  Or,  better,  according 
to  the  margin  and  various  versions, 
as  Luther,  Tyndale,  and  others, 
"  our  fathers  having  received."  —  Je- 
sus. The  Greek  word  for  Joshua, 
the  leader  of  the  Hebrew  host  into 
the  land  of  Canaan.  Heb.  iv.  8,  has 
the  same  mistranslation.  —  The  Gen- 
tiles, i.  e.  the  Canaanites,  who  were 
driven  out  to  make  room  for  the 
establishment  of  a  purer  worship. 
The  language  of  Stephen  clearly 
implies  that  the  Israelites  acted  un- 
der the  direction  of  God,  in  extir- 
pating the  heathen  tribes.  —  Unto 
the  days  of  David,  i.  e.  the  tabernacle 
which  was  built  lay  JNIoses,  and  car- 
ried into  the  promised  land  by  Joshua, 
continued  until  the  time  of  David. 


VII.] 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


113 


4<5  fathers,  unto  the  days  of  David ;    who  found  favor  before  God, 

47  and  desired  to  find  a  tabernacle  for   the  God  of  Jacob.     But 

48  Solomon  built  him  a  house.     Howbeit,  the  Most  High  dwelleth 
4:0  not  in  temples  made  with  hands ;  as  saith  the  prophet,  Heaven 

is  my  throne,  and  earth  is  my  footstool :    what  house  will  ye 
build  me  ?    saith  the  Lord  :    or  what  is  the  place  of  my  rest  ? 

^y  Hath  not  my  hand  made  all  these  things  ? Ye  stiff-necked, 

and  uncircumcised  in  heart  and  ears,  ye  do  always  resist  the 


4G,  47.  Found  favor  before  God. 
He  is  represented  as  a  man  after 
God's  oAvn  heart,  1  Sam.  xiii.  14 ; 
Ps.  Ixxxix.  20  -  24,  and  his  reign 
■vvas  a  brilliant  epoch  in  Jewish  his- 
tory. —  Desired  to  find  a  tahernade, 
^"c.  David  wished  to  build  a  temple, 
as  a  permanent  place  of  deposit  for 
the  sacred  things,  and  for  the  Avor- 
ship  of  the  people,  but  was  forbidden 
by  God  on  account  of  liis  warlike 
character.  2  Sam.  vii. ;  1  Kings  viii. ; 
1  ChroiL  xxii.  8.  The  word  "  taber- 
nacle "  is  not  the  same  in  the  original 
as  that  which  is  thus  translated  in 
ver.  43,  44,  but  means  a  pitched  or 
stationary  tent  or  dwelling.  —  But 
Solojnon  built,  &fc.  David  made  ex- 
tensive preparations,  but  Solomon 
was  the  builder  of  the  temple.  1 
Kings  vi. ;  1  Chron.  xxii. 

48.  Howbeit.  Notwithstanding  the 
honor  paid  to  God  in  building  him  tab- 
ernacles  and  temples,  it  was  not  to  be 
imagined  tliat  he  was  limited  to  these 
sacred  places  ;  for  the  creation  is  his 
dwelling,  the  universe  his  temple. 
1  Kings  viii.  27,  where  the  same  lofty 
idea  of  the  divine  majesty  was  ex- 
pressed by  Solomon  at  the  dedication 
of  his  temple.  Acts  xvii.  24.  —  Jls 
saith  the  prophet.  A  free  quotation 
from  Is,  Ixvi.  1. 

49,  50.  Stephen  seems  to  adduce 
tlie  testimony  of  Solomon  a,nd  Isiiah 
to  prove  that  there  might  be  a  super- 
stitious reverence,  as  among  the 
Jews,  for  the  particular  places  of 
Avorship,  and  a  forgetfulness  that 
God   Avas    limited   to   no  time   nor 

10* 


temple,  but  Avas  unbounded  in  pres- 
ence and  glory.  —  Heaven  is  my 
throne,  ^c.  Images  taken  from  earth- 
ly royalty,  to  shadoAv  fortli  the  splen- 
dor of  the  divine  majesty.  We 
should  endeavor  to  form  true  and 
enlarged  conceptions  of  the  being 
of  God,  avoiding  the  extreme  of  the 
Materialist  on  one  side,  and  that  of 
the  Pantheist  on  the  other.  We  ought 
to  aspire  continually  after  purer  ideas, 
and  more  profound  convictions  of  the 
reality,  of  the  goodness  and  the  un- 
speakable glory  of  God.  By  purity 
of  heart,  by  the  study  of  his  Avorks, 
the  contemplation  of  his  image  in 
Jesus,  and  never-ceasing  conrniu- 
nion  with  his  spirit,  Ave  should  seek 
at  the  same  time  to  increase  our 
knoAvledge,  and  to  strengthen  our 
trust,  in  our  Heavenly  Father.  The 
idea  of  God  is  the  vitp,l  germ  of  all 
religion  in  the  soul. 

51.  At  this  point,  Stephen  sud- 
denly changes  the  strain  of  his  re- 
marks, and  breaks  out  in  a  vehement 
appeal  to  his  auditors,  borne  on  by 
the  stream  of  his  OAvn  indignant 
feelings,  and  seeing  the  gathering 
passions  of  his  enemies.  He  Avas 
perhaps  interrupted  in  his  defence 
by  a  repetition  of  the  charge  of  blas- 
phemy, upon  his  remarks  in  ver. 
49  -  51 ;  and,  finding  tliat  there  Avas 
no  room  for  conciliation,  adopted 
the  most  indignant  style  of  address. 
This  would  account  for  the  abrupt 
transition  from  ver.  50  to  51.  —  Ye 
stiff-necked.  A  figure  taken  from  the 
body  to  describe  tlieir  self-Avill  and 


114  THE  ACTS  [Chap. 

Holy  Ghost :    as  your    fathers  did,  so  do  ye.      Which  of  the  52 
prophets  have  not  your  fathers  persecuted?    and  they  have  slain 
them  which  showed  before  of  the  coming  of  the  Just  One ;   of 
whom   ye  have  been  now  the   betrayers  and  murderers ;    who  33 
have  received  the  law  by  the  disposition  of  angels,  and  have  not 
kept  it. 

When  they  heard  these  things,  they  were  cut  to  the  heart,  and  54 


perverseness,  and  often  applied  to 
the  Jews  in  the  Old  Testament.  Ex. 
xxxiii.  3,  5.  —  Uncircumcised.  Lev. 
xxvi.  41;  Jer.  vi.  10.  Another  meta- 
phorical expression,  to  describe  their 
impiety  and  wickedness,  taken  from 
the  great  peculiar  rite  of  the  Jewish 
covenant.  They  were  unwilling  to 
hear,  and,  having  heard,  to  be  per- 
suaded of,  the  truth.  —  Resist  the 
Holy  Ghost.  Or,  Spirit ;  i.  e.  accord- 
ing to  Grotius  and  Rosenmuller,  ye 
oppose  yourselves  to  the  admonitions 
of  God,  delivered  by  the  prophets. 
Schleusner  says,  that  the  word  Spirit 
here  denotes  all  the  means,  by  which 
God  endeavors  to  reform  the  minds 
of  men.  —  Jls  your  fathers  did,  so  do 
ye.  In  their  rejection  of  Jesus  and 
his  apostles,  they  were  exact  imi- 
tators of  their  fathers,  who  had  per- 
secuted Moses  and  the  prophets. 
And  as  the  opposition  which  the 
servants  of  God  encountered  of  old 
was  no  argument  against  their  di- 
vine commission,  the  same  rule  held 
good  in  respect  to  the  divine  autliori- 
ty  of  the  Messiah. 

52.  JfTiich  of  the  prophets,  ^c. 
Mat  xxiii.  31,  35.  A  general  dec- 
laration that  persecution  had  been 
the  lot  of  the  servants  of  God,  not 
that  every  individual  was  maltreated. 
—  TVhich  showed  before,  ^"C.  Or,  fore- 
told. The  prophets  had  predicted  the 
coming  of  Christ — The  Just  One,  i.  e. 
the  just  by  eminence,  the  absolutely 
righteous.  Acts  iii.l4,  xxii.l4;  James 
V.  6.  —  Have  been  now  the  betrayers, 
^c.  The  chain  of  iniquity  had  been 
continued   in  unbroken  succession ; 


like  fathers,  like  sons.  It  was  the 
same  spirit,  in  every  age,  of  hostility 
to  the  truth,  and  stubborn  prejudice. 
The  Jews  betrayed  or  delivered  up 
Christ  into  the  hands  of  Pilate,  and 
were  instrumental  of  his  murder  by 
urging  a  sentence  of  condemnation 
against  the  will  of  the  judge  himself. 

53.  The  laiv.  Or,  the  Mosaic  dis- 
pensation. —  By  the  disposition  of 
angels.  Or,  according  to  Winer,  at, 
in  consequence  of,  conformably  to, 
such  arrangements.  The  idea  is, 
that  angels  were  appointed  as  min- 
istering instruments  for  its  diffusion. 
Gal.  iii.  19  ;  Heb.  ii.  2.  A  question 
has  been  raised,  but  not  fully  settled, 
whether  by  angels  we  are  to  consid- 
er Moses,  Aaron,  Joshua,  and  others, 
regarded  as  the  messengers  of  God ; 
or  beings  descending  from  other 
spheres  to  mingle  in  the  concerns  of 
men ;  or  inanimate  objects,  as  tem- 
pest, fire,  wind,  the  executors  of 
God's  Avill.  Ps.  Ixxviii.  49;  Is. 
xxxvii.  36.  —  And  Imve  not  kept  it. 
His  last  words  were  a  remonstrance 
against  their  wickedness  in  disobey- 
ing the  laAv,  which  was  solemnized 
by  the  administration  of  angels, 
and  the  sacrifice  of  a  long  line  of 
prophets. 

54.  They  ivere  cut  to  the  heart. 
See  note  on  chap.  v.  33,  Avhere  the 
same  verb  is  used  without  the  noun. 
The  passions,  not  the  consciences,  of 
the  hearers,  were  excited.  See  chap, 
ii.  37.  —  Gnashed  on  him,  ^'c.  Ex- 
pressive of  the  most  ungovernable 
rage.  Since  Stephen  was  violently 
interrupted  before  he  closed  his  de- 


V11.J 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


115 


55  they  gnashed  on  him  with  their  teeth.     But  he,  being  full  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  looked  up  steadfastly  into  heaven,  and  saw  the  glory 

56  of  God,  and  Jesus  standing  on  the  right  hand  of  God,  and  said, 
Behold,  I  see  the  heavens  opened,  and  the  Son  of  man  standing 

57  on  the  right  hand  of  God.      Then  they  cried  out  with  a  loud 
voice,  and  stopped  their  ears,  and  ran  upon  him  with  one  accord, 

58  and  cast  liim  out  of  the  city,  and  stoned  him :  and  the  witnesses 


fence,  it  is  impossible  to  say,  with 
certainty,  what  conclusions  he  would 
have  drawn  from  the  Jewish  history ; 
or  how  he  would  have  used  them  to 
vindicate  his  innocence,  had  he  been 
permitted  to  close  his  remarks.  But 
this  recapitulation  was  probably  in- 
tended as  a  tacit,  if  not  a  direct, 
testimony  to  his  respect  for  Moses 
and  the  law,  and  to  the  waywardness 
of  the  Jews  under  every  succession 
of  teachers,  past  and  present 

55,  56.  Full  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
Spirit.  Stephen,  the  first  martyr,  is 
miraculously  animated  and  sustained, 
that  he  might  exhibit  an  inspiring 
example  of  fortitude  to  encourage 
that  "noble  army"  which  was  to 
come  after  him.  —  Saw  the  glory  of 
God.,  ^c.  "  This  prophetic  view  was 
presented  to  him  in  the  form  of  a 
symbolic  vision.  As  he  looked  up 
to  heaven,  it  appeared  to  open  be- 
fore his  eyes.  In  more  than  earthly 
splendor,  there  appeared  to  him  a 
form  of  divine  majesty ;  he  beheld 
Christ,  (whose  glorious  image  was 
probably  present  to  him  from  actual 
recollection,)  glorified  and  enthroned 
at  the  right  hand  of  God.  Already 
in  spirit  raised  to  heaven,  he  testified 
with  full  confidence  of  what  he  be- 
held." —  Jesus  standings  &fc.  He  is 
usually  represented  as  sitting  at  the 
right  hand  of  God,  Mat  xxvi.  64 ; 
Mark  xvi.  19;  but  the  posture  of 
standing  indicated  his  having  arisen, 
as  it  were,  to  approve  and  assist  his 
suffering  disciple.  —  Behold,  1  see,&fc. 
This  declaration  stimulated  them  to 
new  fury  and  outrage.     He  not  only 


claimed  a  miraculous  character  for 
his  Master,  but  professed  himself  to 
enjoy  divine  visions.  Though  re- 
jected by  his  earthly  judges,  he 
looked  up  to  a  loftier  tribunal,  "  the 
high  bench  of  heaven,"  and  beheld 
the  signals  of  approval  and  assist- 
ance in  the  celestial  presence. 

57.  They  cried  out,  ^c.  These 
various  acts  were  not  merely  the 
expressions  of  rage,  or  intended  to 
drown  the  alleged  blasphemy  of 
Stephen,  but  they  were  symbolical 
actions,  to  denote  their  horror  and 
detestation  of  his  speech.  The  San- 
hedrim and  the  spectators  joined 
in  these  tumultuary  proceedings. — 
Stopped  their  ears.  As  if  to  hear  no 
further  words  from  his  lips.  Accord- 
ing to  the  Jewish  writers,  it  was 
customary  to  exhibit  like  tokens  of 
displeasure,  whenever  blasphemous 
or  indecent  language  was  heard. 
Mat  xxvi.  65. 

58.  Cast  him  out  of  the  city.  It 
was  not  lawful  to  execute  a  con- 
demned person  within  the  limits  of 
the  city.  Lev.  xxiv.  14 ;  1  Kings 
xxi.  13 ;  Luke  iv.  29.  We  see,  in 
the  present  instance,  how  much 
more  powerful  was  their  superstition 
than  their  sense  of  right  They 
could  put  a  good  man  to  death  with- 
out compunction,  but  they  could  not 
do  it  without  conforming  to  the 
utmost  punctilio  of  ceremonial  cus- 
tom. Comp.  John  xviii.  28.  —  Stoned 
him.  The  punishment  for  blasphe- 
my. The  death  of  Stephen  appears 
to  have  taken  place,  not  by  a  formal 
decree  of  the   Sanhedrim,  for  that 


118 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


laid  down  their  clothes  at  a  young  man's  feet,  whose  name  was 
Saul.     And  they  stoned  Stephen,  calling  upon  God^  and  saying,  59 


body  no  longer  had  the  power  of  life 
and  death,  being  under  the  Roman 
government,  but  by  a  riotous  assault. 
The  regularity  of  their  proceedings 
in  casting  him  out  of  the  city,  and 
in  the  fact  that  the  witnesses  cast 
the  first  stone,  rather  strengthens, 
than  subverts,  this  view.  For  such 
mobs  are  usually  observant,  in  some 
points  of  the  letter  of  the  law,  in  pro- 
portion as  tliey  outrage  its  spirit  — 
Laid  doivn  their  clothes.  To  give 
themselves  the  more  freedom,  they 
laid  aside,  as  usual  when  exercising, 
their  mantles,  or  loose  outer  gar- 
ments. According  to  custom,  tlie  wit- 
nesses, chap.  vi.  11,  13,  tlu-CAv  the  first 
stone,  as  if  to  seal  the  truth  of  their 
testimony,  and  to  show  that  they  Avere 
accountable  for  what  was  done.  The 
criminal  was  commonly  first  thrown 
down  an  eminence  upon  a  large 
stone,  and,  if  that  failed  to  kill  him, 
he  was  then  stoned  with  large  stones  ; 
first  by  the  witnesses,  and  then  by 
the  people  at  large.  Deut.  xvii.  7 ; 
Lev.  xxiv.  16. — A  young  man^s feet — 
Saul.  Paul,  the  person  here  spoken 
of  under  the  name  of  Saul,  calls  him- 
self "aged"  in  Phil.  9'  This  is 
accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  there 
was  an  interval  of  about  thirty  years 
between  the  martyrdom  of  Stephen, 
A.  D.  34,  and  the  period  of  the  Epis- 
tle to  Philemon,  about  A.  D.  62.  His 
office  of  taking  care  of  the  garments 
of  the  witnesses,  while  they  were  en- 
gaged in  this  dreadful  crime,  showed 
his  interest,  and  guilty  participation, 
in  the  deed.     Chap.  xxii.  £0. 

59.  Calling  vfon  God.  This  is 
an  instance  of  the  sectirian  biases 
of  the  translators.  The  word  "  God," 
in  Italics,  is  not  in  the  original,  but 
is  introduced  by  them  wholly  with- 
out authority.  The  true  rendering 
is  "  invoking  and  saying,  Lord  Jesus, 
receive  my  s'pirit."      As  has  been 


conceded  by  Trinitarian  writers, 
there  is  no  authority  here  for  ad- 
dressing supreme  worship  to  Christ. 
Hey  says,  "  There  is  not,  perhaps,  any 
express  command  to  invoke  Christ 
under  the  title  of  God.  The  early 
Christians  used  to  invoke  Christ,  and 
Pliny  says,  'tanquam  Deum;''  yet 
Pliny's  idea  of  a  God  was  not  con- 
fined to  the  one  supreme  invisible 
Being.  St.  Stephen  addresses  Christ, 
but  does  not  use  the  word  God, 
though  it  is  found  in  our  translation, 
in  Italics ;  and  his  address  is  the  ejac- 
ulation of  a  man  dying  in  the  Chris- 
tian  cause."  Coleridge  also  says, 
"  that  Christ  was  visually  present  to 
Stephen :  his  invocation,  therefore, 
was  not,  perforce,  an  act  of  religious 
adoration,  an  acknowledgment  of 
Christ's  Deity."  The  circumstances 
under  which  Stephen  invoked  Jesus 
were  peculiar,  entirely  different  from 
those  of  believers  at  the  present 
day ;  for  he  enjoyed  a  vision  of 
Jesus  in  the  heavenly  state,  distinct 
from  God;  and  he  therefore  ad- 
dresses him  as  he  would  have  done 
if  upon  the  earth,  and  commends  his 
spirit  to  his  care.  It  was  an  act  of 
fiiith  in  him,  as  tlie  resurrection  and 
the  life,  as  the  Intercessor  with  the 
Father,  as  the  Judge  of  tlie  quick 
and  the  dead ;  but  not  the  ascription 
to  him  of  divine  attributes,  or  the 
rendering  of  supreme  homage,  which 
Jesus,  both  by  example  and  precept, 
tauglit  his  disciples  to  give  to  tlie 
Almighty  alone.  Mat  vi.  9  ;  Luke 
xxiii.  34,  46 ;  Rev.  xix.  10.  It  is  very 
remarkable,  as  has  been  said,  and 
illustrative  of  this  text,  that  Michael 
Servetus,  the  martyr  of  Geneva, 
when  on  the  way  to  the  stake,  whose 
aoonies  he  endured  in  consequence 
of  his  faith,  that  Jesus  Christ  ivas  not 
the  supreme  Deity,  often  exclaimed, 
"  O  God,  save  my  soul !     O  Jesus, 


vn.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


117 


60  Lord  Jesus,  receive  my  spirit.  And  he  kneeled  down  and  cried 
with  a  loud  voice,  Lord,  lay  not  this  sin  to  their  charge.  And 
when  he  had  said  this,  he  fell  asleep. 


Son  of  tlie  Eternal  God,  have  mercy 
upon  me ! "  —  Receive  mi/  spirit,  i.  e. 
to  thy  presence,  to  thy  blessedness. 

60.  He  kneeled  down.  He  took 
this  posture  on  account  of  the  wounds 
he  had  received  from  his  cruel  ene- 
mies, as  well  as  from  its  being  the 
attitude  of  devotion.  —  Cried  with  a 
loud  voice.  The  agony  of  expiring 
nature.  —  Lord,  lay  not  this  sin  to 
their  charge,  i.  e.  impute  not  this  sin 
to  them.  Hold  them  not  responsible 
for  this  crime.  This  beautiful  peti- 
tion breathed  the  very  spirit  of  him 
who  prayed  on  the  cross,  Father,  for- 
give them ;  for  they  know  not  what 
they  do.  Luke  xxiii.  34.  Though 
he  had  just  denounced,  in  unsparing 
terms,  their  wickedness,  yet  he  felt 
the  tenderest  compassion  for  their 
impenitence.  He  thus  exhibited 
those  combined  elements  of  the  gen- 
tle and  the  severe,  the  mild  and  the 
heroic,  which  constitute  the  most  ex- 
alted form  of  human  excellence.  In 
relation  to  the  connexion  of  the  dy- 
ing martyr  with  the  future  apostle 
to  the  Gentiles,  Augustine  pointedly 
said,  "If  Stephen  had  not  prayed, 
the  church  would  not  have  had  St. 
Paul."  — iZe/eZ?  asleep.  This  soft- 
ened expression  is  often  used  by  the 
Jewish  and  Scripture  writers  to  de- 
note death ;  for  Avhat  is  death,  right- 
ly viewed,  but  a  sleep  ?  The  force 
of  the  phrase  is  more  prominent  in 
this  case,  when  the  contrast  is  felt 
between  the  violence  of  his  enemies 
and  the  peaceful  death  of  their  vic- 
tim.    1  Cor.  XV.  18,  20. 

"  With  awful  dread  his  murderers  shook, 
As,  radiant  and  serene, 
The  lustre  of  his  dying  look 
Was  like  an  angel's  seen." 

In  considering  tlie  character  of 
Stephen's  speech  before  the  Jewish 
Sanhedrim,  a  disappointment  is  often 


experienced,  as  if  it  Avas  not  adapted 
to  the  purposes  of  the  defence,  and 
its  point  is  not  readily  seen.  But 
this  difficulty  will  be  relieved  by  ex- 
ainining  the  following  particulars  in 
the  case :  (1.)  The  charge  of  blas- 
phemy against  God  and  Moses,  by 
asserting  that  Christ  would  destroy 
the  holy  place  and  subvert  the  law 
and  ritual  of  Moses.  (2.)  Stephen's 
recital  of  Jewish  history  testitied  to 
his  devout  veneration  for  Moses  as 
the  messenger  of  God :  his  declara- 
tions respecting  the  tabernacle  and 
temple  indirectly  showed  his  respect 
for  the  Jewish  worship.  But  from 
these  very  elements  and  rudiments 
of  a  pure  religion,  he  showed,  accord- 
ing to  the  testimony  of  Moses  and 
the  prophets  themselves,  that  tlieir 
system  was  but  preliminary  to  that 
of  a  greater  prophet,  ver.  37,  and  a 
more  universal  and  spiritual  wor- 
ship, ver.  48  -  50,  while  the  frequent 
rebellions  of  the  Hebrews  against 
their  divine  leaders,  ver.  9,  25,  35, 
39,  40,  51,  52,  found  but  too  exact  a 
counterpart,  in  the  crucifixion  of  the 
Messiah  and  the  persecution  of  his 
followers.  It  was  no  proof,  tlierefore, 
against  the  divine  authority  of  Jesus, 
that  he  had  been  rejected  by  his 
countrymen,  for  they  had  always 
been  a  stiff-necked  and  rebellious 
race.  (3.)  If  the  address  of  the  mar- 
tyr seem  inappropriate  and  inconclu- 
sive, it  is  to  be  remembered  that  it 
was  brought  to  an  abrupt  and  violent 
termination  by  the  ferocity  of  his 
judges,  who  gave  him  no  time  to 
make  his  intended  application. 

In  the  death  of  Stephen,  we  per- 
ceive the  pulsation  of  a  new  and 
more  intense  life  in  the  heart  of  tlie 
Christian  church.  It  Avas  a  Avitness 
to  the  trutli  of  Christianity,  sealed 
with  blood.    It  Avas  a  proof  of  tlie 


118 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


CHAPTER   Vni. 

TTie  Persecution  of  the  Church,  the  Account  of  Simon  Magus,  and  the  Conversion 
of  the  Ethiopian  Eunuch. 

And  Saul  was  consenting  unto  his  death.     And  at  that  time 
there  was  a  great  persecution  against  the  church  which  was  at 
Jerusalem ;   and  they  were  all  scattered  abroad  throughout  the 
regions  of  Judea  and  Samaria,  except  the  apostles.     And  devout  2 
men  carried  Stephen  to  his  burial,  and  made  great  lamentation 


zeal  of  the  beUevers,  and  the  augury 
of  their  success ;  for  nothing  has  ever 
been  more  true  than  that  "  the  blood 
of  the  martyrs  has  been  the  seed  of 
the  church."  In  the  serene  self-pos- 
session of  this  proto-martyr,  we  wit- 
ness the  power  of  religion  in  the 
most  terrible  exigencies  of  our  con- 
dition ;  and  in  the  prayer  of  mercy 
for  his  murderers  the  noblest  attes- 
tation to  the  influence  of  the  gospel, 
in  creating  a  spirit  of  entire  self- 
sacrifice  and  of  boundless  benevo- 
lence. 

CHAPTER  yill. 

1.  Saul  was  consenting  unto  Ms 
death.  Or,  literally,  "to  his  taking 
off."  "Consenting"  is  too  feeble. 
Tyndale  better  renders  it,  "  Saul  had 
pleasure  in  his  death,"  as  the  verb 
means  to  take  pleasure  with  others 
in  any  thing.  The  zeal  of  Paul  led 
him  not  only  to  consent  to,  but  to 
rejoice  in,  the  death  of  so  distin- 
guished an  advocate  of  the  gospel. 
This  clause  is  most  unfortunately 
separated  from  the  last  chapter,  to 
which  it  belongs,  by  the  absurd  di- 
vision of  the  chapters.  —  At  that  time. 
The  martyrdom  of  Stephen  was  the 
signal  to  new  outrages.  The  ene- 
mies of  the  church,  having  once 
tasted  blood,  raged  with  increased 
fury  against  tlieir  unhappy  victims. 
Chap.  xi.  19.  We  enter,  at  tliis  point, 
upon  a  new  epoch  in  the  develop- 
ment of  Christianity.  The  first  seven 
chapters  of  the  Acts  contain  an 
account  of  the  progress  of  the  new 


religion  in  the  holy  city.  But  the 
history  now  takes  us  beyond  these 
limits,  and  records  its  triumphs  in  Ju- 
dea, Samaria,  and  over  the  Gentiles. 
Chap.  viii.  -  xii. — A  great  persecution. 
This  was  the  first  great  assault  upon 
the  Christian  church,  in  which  he  who 
was  afterwards  one  of  the  chiefest  of 
the  apostles,  was  the  leading  spirit. 
Chap.  xxvi.  10  - 12.  —  The  church 
which  was  at  Jerusalem.  Notwith- 
standing the  pretensions  of  Rome, 
this  was  the  earliest  church  of  Christ 
—  Were  all  scattered  abroad,  S^c.  In 
obedience  to  tlie  Master's  injunction, 
Mat  x.  23,  when  persecuted  in  one 
city,  they  fled  into  another.  —  Except 
the  apostles.  Until  their  services 
were  required  in  other  places,  ver. 
14,  they  remained  in  the  holy  city, 
braving  the  fury  of  persecution,  chap, 
xii.  1,  2,  in  order  to  protect  the  ris- 
ing interests  of  the  infant  church. 

2.  Carried.  This  word  is  techni- 
cally used  for  the  preparation  of  a 
corpse  for  burial,  and  is  rendered  by 
Tyndale  "  dressed  Steven,"  i.  e.  for 
interment  —  Made  great  lamentation. 
As  for  one  whom  they  highly  es- 
teemed and  deeply  mourned.  These 
testunonies  of  respect  were  given 
not  only  by  Christian  believers,  but 
by  Jews  also,  "  devout  men,"  who 
disapproved  of  the  popular  fanati- 
cism. Acts  ii.  5.  "  Among  the  Jews, 
and,  indeed,  among  most  nations  of 
the  earth,  it  was  esteemed  a  work 
of  piety,  charity,  and  mercy,  to  bury 
the  dead."  Mat  xxvii.  57,  59,  60 ; 
John  xix.  39,  40. 


VIIL] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


119 


3  over  him.  As  for  Saul,  he  made  havoc  of  the  church,  entering 
into  every' house,  and  haling  men  and  women,  committed  them 
to  prison. 

4  Therefore  they  that  were  scattered  abroad  went  every  where 

5  preaching  the  word.     Then  Philip  went  down  to  the  city  of 


3.  Made  havoc.  Ravaged.  This 
word  is  commonly  used  in  describ- 
ing the  ferocity  of  wild  beasts,  in 
seizing  and  devouring  their  prey. 
It  vividly  describes  the  devastations 
of  the  young  zealot  among  the  Chris- 
tian flock.  Gal.  i.  13.  —  Entering 
into  every  house.  Or,  breaking  into 
every  house.  His  forcible  entry  into 
private  houses  for  his  victims,  show- 
ed the  terrible  energy  of  his  perse- 
cution, sparing  no  place,  age,  nor  sex. 
Chap.  xxii.  4.  —  Hating.  Indicating 
the  violence  with  which  they  were 
dragged  before  magistrates  or  to 
prison.  —  Committed  them  to  prison. 
Preliminary  to  trial  by  the  Sanhe- 
drim, and  execution  by  the  Romans. 
Saul  was  empowered  by  the  chief 
priests,  chap.  xxvi.  10,  and  acted  in 
this  affair  from  a  mistaken  religious 
zeal,  and  with  an  unenlightened  con- 
science, tiiinking  that  he  was  serv- 
ing God,  laboring  for  his  glory. 
But  his  sin  consisted  in  the  obstinacy 
of  his  prejudices,  and  his  blind  ad- 
herence to  a  bigoted  sense  of  duty. 
The  sincerity  of  Paul,  his  conscien- 
tiousness, and  his  zeal,  were  all  laud- 
able ;  but  his  example  has  left  a 
lesson  that  ought  never  to  be  for- 
gotten in  tlie  world,  viz.,  that,  if  any 
infusion  of  blind  self-will  and  sullen 
atlherence  to  the  ancient  faitli,  be- 
cause it  is  the  ancient  faith,  mingle 
in  our  motives;  if  we  do  not  seek 
the  light,  and  examine  for  ourselves, 
and  cling  to  our  purest  convictions 
of  truth,  we  may  fall  into  the  ranks 
of  Paul  the  persecutor,  rather  than 
of  Stephen  the  martyr. 

4.  JVent  even/  where  preachins;  tlve 
word.  Or,  evangelizing,  or  proclaim- 
ing the  glad  tidings  of  the  gospel. 


The  dispersed  Christians  fled  into 
various  countries,  chap.  xi.  19,  bear- 
ing the  message  of  salvation  far  and 
wide.  "  These  holy  fugitives  were 
like  so  many  lamps,  lighted  by  the  fire 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  spreading  every 
where  the  sacred  flame  by  which 
they  themselves  had  been  illumi- 
nated." Here  was  a  practical  dem- 
onstration of  tlie  futility  of  perse- 
cution ;  for  the  very  means  so  vigor- 
ously applied  to  crush  the  cause  of 
truth,  only  served  to  give  it  a  wider 
extension,  like  seed  scattered  from 
a  shaken  tree,  and  borne  to  every 
quarter  by  the  furious  blasts  of  the 
tempest. 

5.  Philip.  It  is  agreed  tliat  this 
was  Philip,  the  deacon,  one  of  the 
seven,  chap.  vi.  5,  elsewhere  called 
the  evangelist,  chap,  xxi,  8,  and  not 
Philip  the  apostle,  chap.  i.  13;  for 
we  are  told,  ver.  1,  that  the  apostles 
remained  at  Jerusalem,  and  that  their 
assistance  was  afterwards  required, 
ver.  14-17,  in  granting  the  gift  of 
the  Holy  Spirit.  As  the  history  of 
the  first  of  the  seven,  Stephen,  chap, 
vi.  5,  was  given  in  the  foregoing 
chapter,  Luke  proceeds  here  to  re- 
late the  acts  of  Philip,  tlie  second  in 
that  catalogue.  —  The  city  of  Sama,- 
ria.  Or,  "a  city  of  Samaria,"  the 
country.  There  was  no  city  at  that 
time  called  Samaria,  for  the  ancient 
one  of  that  name  had  been  totally 
effaced  from  tlie  earth.  The  one 
here  referred  to  was  either  Sebaste, 
or  x\ugusta,  built  by  Herod  the  Great, 
in  honor  of  Augustus,  the  Roman 
emperor ;  or  Sychar,  or  Sichem,  near 
Mount  Gerizim;  which  is  the  more 
probable,  as  it  had  already  been  fa- 
vored by  the  teachings  of  the  Saviour 


120 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


Samaria,  and  preached  Christ  unto  them.     And  the  people  with  6 
one  accord  gave  heed  unto  those  things  which  Philip  sp'ake,  hear- 
ing and  seeing  the  miracles  which  he  did.     For  unclean  spirits,  7 
crying  with  loud  voice,  came  out  of  many  that  were  possessed 
with  them:  and  many  taken  with  palsies,  and  that  were  lame, 

were  healed.     And  there  was  great  joy  in  that  city. But  ^ 

there  was  a  certain  man,  called  Simon,  which  before  time  in  the 
same  city  used  sorcery,  and  bewitched  the  people  of  Samaria, 


himself.  John  iv.  As  Samaria  was 
partly  settled  by  Jews,  received  the 
Pentateuch,  and  expected  the  coming 
of  the  Messiah,  it  was  ripe  for  the 
labors  of  the  Christian  evangelist.  — 
Preached  Christ.  The  term  Christy 
in  the  Noav  Testament,  ought,  in  a 
multitude  of  cases,  to  receive  the 
definite  article  before  it,  where  it 
has  been  omitted  by  the  translators. 
The  grand  question  was,  whether  tlie 
Messiah,  the  Christ,  the  Promised, 
Expected  One,  had  actually  appear- 
ed ;  and  the  preaching  of  the  early 
disciples  was  clearly  directed  to  the 
point,  as  here  by  Philip,  to  identify 
Jesus  as  the  Christ.  Our  Lord  had 
directed  his  followers  to  proclaim 
his  gospel  in  Samaria.     Chap.  i.  8. 

6.  The  people  with  one  accord  (nave 
heed.  The  candor  of  the  Samaritans 
compares  favorably  with  the  obsti- 
nate prejudices  of  the  Jews.  John 
iv.  35  -  41.  —  Hearing,  and  seeing 
the  miracles.  The  labors  of  the  dis- 
ciples, as  of  the  Master,  consisted 
of  two  great  divisions  —  words  and 
deeds,  instructions  and  miracles. 

7,  8.  Unclean  spirits.  See  note 
on  chap.  v.  16.  —  Palsies.  Priestley 
remarks  that  "  the  cure  of  madness, 
which  was  imagined  by  the  Jev/s  to 
be  occasioned  by  the  agency  of  evil 
spirits,  and  that  of  the  palsy,  which 
is  also  here  mentioned,  were  both  of 
them  miracles  of  a  very  extraordi- 
nary nature,  and  they  are  always 
noticed  as  such  in  all  the  gospel 
history."  —  There  ivas  great  joy  in 
that  city.     The  natural  result  ol"  the 


relief  afforded  to  the  sick  and  wretch- 
ed, and  the  proclamation  of  those 
truths  which  are  fitted  to  guide  and 
cheer  the  hearts  of  men. 

9.  Simon.  The  history  of  this 
individual  is  involved  in  great  ob- 
scurity, and  little  reliance  can  be 
put  upon  many  of  the  traditions  pre- 
served, concerning  him,  by  the  early 
Christian  fathers.  He  is  usually 
termed  Simon  Magus,  from  his  prac- 
tising magical  arts.  The  Magi,  wise 
men,  were  distinguished  for  their 
knowledge  of  astronomy  and  astrol- 
ogy, by  which  they  professed  to  cal- 
culate the  fortunes  of  individuals ; 
and  for  their  acquaintance  with  the 
powers  of  nature  and  the  remedies 
of  diseases,  by  which  they  could 
astonish  mankind,  and  impose  upon 
their  credulity,  as  being  possessors 
of  more  than  mortal  power.  They 
could,  tlierefore,  act  as  jugglers,  and, 
by  their  knowledge  of  some  of  the 
facts  of  natural  philosophy,  play  tricks 
of  legerdemain.  Norton  remarks 
that,  "  from  all  the  notices  of  Simon, 
it  does  not  seem  likely  that  he  much 
affected  the  character  of  a  specula- 
tive philosopher  or  tlieologist,  or  was 
solicitous  to  establish  any  system  of 
doctrines.  He  appears  to  have  been 
a  bold,  artful,  vainglorious,  dishonest 
adventurer,  claiming  to  possess  su- 
pernatural powers,  and  having  mucli 
skill  in  obtaining  control  over  the 
minds  of  others.  He  may  be  classed 
with  certain  impostors  and  fanatics, 
not  uncommon  in  the  age  in  which 
he  lived,  who,   proceeding  on  the 


VIII.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


121 


10  giving  out  that  himself  was  some  great  one :  to  whom  they  all 
gave  heed,  from  the  least  to  the  greatest,  saying.  This  man  is  the 

11  great  power  of  God.     And  to  him  they  had  regard,  because  that 

12  of  long  time  he  had  bewitched  them  with  sorceries.  But  when 
they  believed  Philip,  preaching  the  things  concerning  the  king- 
dom of  God,  and  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  they  were  baptized, 

13  both  men  and  women.  Then  Simon  himself  believed  also :  and 
when  he  was  baptized,  he  continued  with  Philip,  and  wondered,  be- 


doctrines  of  the  Pythagorean  Pla- 
tonists  (as  they  may  be  called)  pre- 
tended, tlirough  mystical  exercises 
of  mind,  to  have  attained  a  com- 
munion with  the  invisible  world,  and 
to  possess  a  power,  which  they  de- 
nominated theurgy,  of  performing 
supernatural  works  by  divine  assist- 
ance. Simon  had  learned  in  a  sim- 
ilar school ;  and  though  he  was  prob- 
ably more  of  an  impostor  than  a  fa- 
natic, yet  a  religious  impostor  can 
hardly  be  very  successful  without  a 
mixture  of  fanaticism.  If  he  suc- 
ceed in  deceiving  others,  he  com- 
monly succeeds,  partially  at  least,  in 
deceiving  himself.  The  false  opin- 
ion which  he  creates  in  those  about 
him,  reacts  on  his  own  mind.  Si- 
mon, we  may  suppose,  like  the  gen- 
erality of  men  in  his  age,  was  a 
believer  in  the  power  of  magic,  or 
theurgy,  and,  when  he  saw  the  mira- 
cles performed  by  Philip,  was  filled 
with  astonishment,  and  regarded  him 
as  operating  through  magical  pow- 
ers, unknown  to  himself."  Simon 
was  accounted  by  the  early  Avriters 
as  the  head  of  the  Gnostics,  and  the 
father  of  all  heresies.  Hence  there 
was  nothing  too  bad  to  be  said  of 
him.  But,  as  observed  by  Olshausen, 
this  was  because  the  heretical  ele- 
ment first  pressed  into  tlie  church  in 
Simon.  His  was  a  convenient  name 
to  which  to  attach  every  thing  evil. 
—  Beforetime,  i.  e.  before  Philip  came 
thither,  Simon  had  been  practising 
his  magical  arts  in  Samaria.  —  Used 
sorcery.    The  whole  is  one  participle 

VOL.    III.  11 


in  Greek,  signifying  practising  as 
a  Magus  or  magician.  —  Bewitched. 
This  unfortunate  translation  was 
made  at  a  period  when  witchcraft 
was  a  part  of  the  popular,  and  even 
religious,  belief.  The  same  word  is 
translated  "wondered"  in  the  thir- 
teenth verse,  in  relation  to  the  emo- 
tion felt  by  Simon  for  the  miracles 
of  Philip,  and  should  have  been  ren- 
dered in  the  same  way  in  this  verse. 
He  astonished  the  people  of  Sama- 
ria, or  made  them  wonder.  —  Some 
great  one.  Some  extraordinary  being, 
whose  title  is  given  in  the  next 
verse. 

10.  From  the  least  to  the  greatest, 
i.  e.  all,  of  every  class  and  age. — 
This  man  is  the  great  power  of  God. 
Or,  as  Griesbach  and  other  critics 
read,  "  This  man  is  the  power  of  God, 
called  Great."  What  these  words 
exactly  mean,  we  cannot  now  under- 
stand. But  the  probable  sense  is, 
that  they  regarded  him  as  a  "  mani- 
festation of  the  hio^hest  power  of 
God."  "  The  mighty  power  of  God 
energizes  in  him." 

11.  Bewitched.  The  same  remark 
is  to  be  made  on  this  word  as  in 
ver.  9. 

12.  13.  The  fact  that  Philip  was 
able  to  compete  successfully  with 
this  great  impostor,  and  divert  the 
attention  of  the  people  at  large  from 
their  blind  wonder,  to  a  practical  and 
saving  faith  in  the  gospel,  attests  the 
power  with  which  he  was  intrusted, 
iDoth  to  preach  and  to  work  miracles. 
When  Simon  saw  the  real  miracles 


122 


THE   ACT« 


[Chap. 


holding  the  miracles  and  signs  which  were  done. Now  when  14 

the  apostles  which  were  at  Jerusalem  heard  that  Samaria  had 
received  the  word  of  God,  they  sent  unto  them  Peter  and  John : 
who,  when  they  were  come  down,  prayed   for  them  that  they  15 
might  receive  the  Holy  Ghost:    (for  as  yet  he  was  fallen  upon  16 
none  of  them  :   only  they  were  baptized  in  the  name  of  the  Lord 
Jesus.)     Then  laid  they  their  hands  on  them,  and  they  received  17 


of  Philip,  he  was  struck  with  amaze- 
ment, and  apparently  sought,  by  be- 
coming his  adherent,  to  gain  the  same 
art.  His  profession  of  Christianity 
was  vitiated  by  corrupt  motives ;  his 
belief  was  mercenary.  He  was  a 
speculator  in  signs  and  wonders.  — 
Wondered^  i.  e.  to  take  up  the  trans- 
lation of  ver.  9  and  11  of  the  same 
word,  "  was  bewitched."  —  Miracles 
and  signs.  Or,  signs  and  ^eat  mir- 
acles, as  in  the  margin.  Simon  Avas 
amazed  to  find  himself  outdone  in 
his  own  profession. 

14.  That  Samaria  had  received^ 
^c.  Evidently  a  general  expression, 
implying  that  the  cause  prospered 
abundantly  in  that  region,  not  that  the 
whole  country  was  actually  Chris- 
tianized. —  They  sent  unto  them  Peter 
and  John.  Who  had  been  before 
united,  chap.  iii.  iv.,  in  the  work  of  tlie 
ministry.  They  were  delegated  to 
aid  Philip  with  their  efforts  and  au- 
thority, and  confer  the  gift  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.  In  relation  to  the  claims 
of  the  Roman  Catholic  church,  and 
of  its  alleged  founder,  Whitby  re- 
marks ;  "  Here  we  find  Peter  sent  by 
the  other  apostles,  and  by  tlie  church, 
which  is  a  sign  he  was  not  their 
head  and  superior;  for  greater  is 
he  that  sends  than  he  that  is  sent" 

15.  Co7ne  doivn.  Not  that  they 
literally  descended,  but  it  was  a  mode 
of  language  to  speak  of  going  up  to 
a  great  city,  and  of  coming  doum 
from  it.  John  vii.  8.  —  Receive  the 
Holy  Ghost.  Almost  universally  un- 
derstood as  signifying  those  miracu- 
lous gifts,  which  were  a  seal  of  their 


faith,  and  an  instrument  of  useful- 
ness to  others.  The  apostles  appear 
to  have  been  the  only  ones  who 
possessed  the  power  of  conferring 
these  gifts. 

16,  17.  He.  Should  be  «it;" 
the  Spirit  being  impersonal.  —  hi 
the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  Or, 
"  into  the  name,"  &c.  This  formula 
is  essentially  the  same  as  that  used 
in  Mat.  xxviii.  19,  and  is  generally 
adopted  in  the  book  of  Acts.  The 
authority  of  Philip  extended  only  as 
far  as  baptism.  —  Laid  their  hands 
on  them.  Not  probably  upon  all,  at 
least  not  upon  Simon  Magus ;  though 
Avhat  he  asked  was  not  the  gift  of 
the  Spirit,  but  the  power  of  communi- 
cating it  to  others.  There  is  no  rea- 
son to  believe  that  there  was  any 
particular  virtue  in  imposition  of 
hands,  except  as  a  sign  or  token. 
It  was  a  custom,  not  an  essential. 
Jesus  put  his  hands  upon  tlie  chil- 
dren he  blessed.  The  apostles  laid 
their  hands  upon  the  seven  deacons, 
when  they  were  set  apart  for  their 
office.  The  act  was  symbolical  of 
a  blessing  invoked  and  conferred. 
Mat.  xix.  15  ;  Acts  vi.  6.  The  sac- 
rament of  confirmation,  as  held  by 
the  Roman  Catliolic  church,  and  tlie 
same  regarded  as  a  necessary  rite, 
and  required  by  the  church  of  Eng- 
land, before  persons  can  be  admitted 
to  the  communion,  are  justified  by 
this  and  other  texts.  But  there  is 
no  evidence  of  a  peculiar  ordinance 
being  established  at  this  time,  and 
designed  to  be  perpetual  in  the 
church.    Besides,  none  but  the  apos- 


VIII.]  OF  THE  APOSTLES.  123 

18  the  Holy  Ghost. And  wlien  Simon  saw  that  through  laying 

on  of  the  apostles'  hands  the  Holy  Ghost  was  given,  he  offered 

19  them  money,  saying,  Give  me  also  this  power,  that  on  whomso- 

20  ever  I  lay  hands,  he  may  receive  the  Holy  Ghost.     But  Peter 
said  unto  him,  Thy  money  perish  with  thee,  because  thou  hast 


ties,  not  even  Philip  the  evangelist, 
could  invoke  the  descent  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  upon  the  Samaritan  converts  ; 
and  there  is  not  a  particle  of  evi- 
dence that  the  apostolic  office  and 
authority  were  delegated  to  any  suc- 
cessors. The  object,  then,  was,  more- 
over, to  convey  to  the  believer  the 
extraordinary,  and  not,  as  is  done 
now,  the  ordinary,  gifts  of  the  Holy 
Spu^t 

18,  19.  When  Simon  saw  —  heof- 
fered  them  money.  Notwithstanding 
he  had  been  baptized,  and  believed 
in  the  miracles  and  doctrines  of  the 
gospel,  it  is  plain  that  he  compre- 
hended not  its  real  object.  He 
looked  at  it  as  a  better  species  of 
sorcery  than  his  oVvn,  and  therefore 
sought  to  become  acquainted  with 
it  He  beheld  the  apostles  doing 
mightier  works  than  his  own,  and 
he  wished  to  get  possession  of  the 
same  power ;  not  to  do  good,  but  for 
the  purposes  of  self-interest.  The 
mercenary  character  of  his  feelings 
was  demonstrated  by  his  offer  of 
money  to  purchase  the  holy  power ; 
which,  in  turn,  he  thought  to  use  as 
an  instrument  for  making  money, 
and  for  increasing  his  own  reputa- 
tion. In  the  language  of  Norton, 
"  He  probably  thought  Jesus  to  have 
been  a  great  theurgist,  and  wished 
to  become  possessed  of  the  secrets 
which  he  imagined  him  to  have 
communicated  to  his  disciples.  Be- 
ing confirmed  in  this  state  of  mind 
by  witnessing  the  effects  produced 
by  the  imposition  of  the  hands  of  the 
apostles,  he  did  what  naturally  oc- 
curred to  him  —  he  offered  money  to 
purchase  their  disclosure.  He  Avas 
at  first  humbled  and  terrified  by  the 


severe  rebuke  of  Peter ;  but  no  evil 
immediately  followed  ;  and  it  ap- 
pears, from  the  further  accounts  of 
him,  that  he  resumed  confidence, 
pursued  his  former  course  of  life, 
and  was  excited  to  set  himself  up 
as  a  rival  of  our  Lord."  —  2^hat  on 
whomsoever,  Sfc.  He  desired  a  gift 
which  the  apostles  did  not  and  could 
not  convey  —  the  power  of  granting 
the  Holy  Spirit,  the  gifts  of  tongues, 
and  miracles  to  yet  others.  This 
request,  therefore,  met,  in  fact, — 
though  only  one  is  assigned  —  with 
two  grounds  of  denial ;  one,  that  it 
was  impracticable  to  be  granted  ; 
and  the  other,  that  it  was  sacrile- 
gious ;  an  attempt  to  purchase  what 
was  the  free  gift  of  God  with 
money. 

20.  Thi/  money  perish  with  thee. 
This  expression  has  been  variously 
regarded  by  different  expositors,  as 
an  imprecation  —  a  prediction  —  a 
denunciation.  The  apparent  tenor 
of  the  phrase  is  certainly  impre- 
catory. It  seems  to  say,  "Let  thy 
money  and  thyself  go  to  perdition." 
It  was  uttered  impulsively  by  Peter ; 
and  though  it  might  somewhat  con- 
flict with  the  perfect  spirit  of  Chris- 
tian love  for  the  sinner,  yet  we  do 
not  profess  to  predicate  perfection 
of  the  apostles,  as  we  do  of  their 
Master.  At  one  time  they  were 
ready  to  invoke  fire  upon  their  ene- 
mies. Luke  ix.  54.  Paul  uses, 
chap,  xxiii.  3,  an  expression  savoring 
strongly  of  imprecation,  and  he  hesi- 
tates not  to  accuse  Peter  and  Barna- 
bas of  unwortliy  compliances  and 
dissimulation.  Gal.  ii.  13,  14.  The 
apostles  were  men;  and  it  is  one 
proof  of  the  divinity  of  the  gospel, 


134 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


thought  that  the  gift  of  God  may  be  purcnased  with  money. 
Thou  hast  neither  part  nor  lot  in  this  matter :  for  thy  heart  is  21 


that,  although  they  were  compara- 
tively uneducated,  enveloped  in  Jew- 
ish prejudices,  and  marked  by  some 
imperfections  of  character,  they  yet 
wrought  miracles,  not  by  their  own 
holiness,  chap.  iii.  12,  and  taught 
a  spiritual  faith  far  transcending 
their  condition,  education,  and  origi- 
nal characters.  Peter's  words  in  the 
text  were  severe  and  denunciatory, 
and  perhaps  it  may  be  said  tliat,  even 
if  imprecatory,  they  proceed  from  a 
praiseworthy  spirit.  God  has  charged 
our  nature  with  a  latent  fire  of  moral 
indignation,  seemingly  designed  to 
put  the  wicked  in  awe,  that  they  sin 
not ;  which  results  in  sin  only  when 
it  is  allowed  to  exert  a  long  and 
corroding  influence  upon  the  affec- 
tionate sensibilities  of  the  heart. 
Our  Saviour  himself  appears  not  to 
have  been  destitute  of  this  moral  in- 
dignation, though  immediately  tem- 
pered with  compassion.  Mark  iii.  5 ; 
Eph.  iv.  26.  Wakefield  renders  the 
expression,  "  away  with  thee  and 
thy  money."  —  Th£  gift  of  God,  ^c. 
The  precise  impiety  of  this  sorcerer 
consisted  in  the  sacrilege  which  he 
would  commit  upon  sacred  things, 
the  confounding  of  celestial  gifts 
with  the  grossest  interests  of  earth, 
and  the  blasphemous  idea  that  the 
Spirit  of  God  could  be  put  up  for 
sale  in  the  market.  Mat.  x.  8,  xii. 
32.  From  the  case  of  Simon,  the 
crime  of  buying  or  selling  ecclesias- 
tical preferments  or  church  benefices 
has  been  denominated  Simony  —  a 
sin  only  known  in  church  establish- 
ments, in  which  there  is  a  union  of 
ecclesiastical  and  political  power, 
and  the  control  of  curacies  is  lodged 
in  the  hands  of  wealthy  patrons. 

21.  JVeither  part  nor  lot.  A  He- 
brew repetition  of  terms,  expressive 
of  strength  of  meaning.  Deut.  x.  9. 
So  far  from  his  being  gifted  with 


the  highest  privileges  of  the  apostolic 
office,  he  would  be  cut  off"  from  all 
participation  in  the  blessings  of  the 
gospel,  if  he  indulged  in  so  gross 
and  sordid  a  spirit  —  In  this  matter. 
Or,  literally,  "  in  this  word,  doctrine," 
i.  e.  in  the  gospel,  in  the  promises 
and  joys  of  the  Christian  faith.  He 
had  shown  hiijiself  incapable  of  ap- 
preciating tlie  purpose  of  the  apos- 
tles, and  placed  their  wonderful  and 
beneficent  miracles  on  a  level  with 
his  own  tricks.  He  was  thus  inca- 
pacitated, not  arbitrarily,  but  from 
the  very  nature  of  things,  from  tast- 
ing of  the  peculiar  satisfactions  and 
blessings  of  a  self-denying,  heroic, 
and  benevolent  life  like  theirs.  — Thy 
heart  is  not  right  in  the  sight  of  God. 
The  reason  is  here  assigned  for  tlie 
foregoing  declaration.  The  motive 
of  the  magician  was  corrupt.  His 
heart  was  impure  in  the  sight  of  the 
holy  and  omniscient  God.  His  aim 
was  not  human  good,  .and  the  di- 
vine glory,  but  self-aggrandizement. 
"Peter's  terrible  rebuke  presents 
him  to  us  as  a  faithful  preacher  of 
the  gospel,  insisting  most  impressive- 
ly on  the  supreme  importance  of 
disposition  in  every  thing  which  is 
imparted  by  Christianity,  in  direct 
opposition  to  the  art  of  magic,  which 
disregards  the  necessary  connexion 
of  the  divine  and  supernatural  with 
the  disposition  of  the  heart,  drags 
them  down  into  the  circle  of  the 
natural,  and  attempts  to  appropriate 
to  itself  divine  power  by  means  of 
something  else  than  that  which  is 
allied  to  it  in  human  nature,  and  the 
only  possible  point  of  connexion  for 
it.  The  poetical  fancies  of  Christian 
antiquity,  which  make  Peter  the  rep- 
resentative of  the  principle  of  simple 
faith  in  revelation,  and  Simon  the 
representative  of  the  magical  and 
theosophic  (speculative)  tendency  in 


VIII.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


125 


22  not  right  in  the  sight  of  God.    Repent  therefore  of  this  thy  wick- 
edness, and  pray  God,  if  perhaps  the  thought  of  thy  heart  may  be 

23  forgiven  thee.     For  I  perceive  that  thou  art  in  the  gall  of  bitter- 
24.  ness,  and  in  the  bond  of  iniquity.     Then  answered  Simon,  and 

said,  Pray  ye  to  the  Lord  for  me,  that  none  of  these  things  which 


the   human    mind,   have    important 
truths  for  their  basis."  —  Neander. 

22.  Repent  — pray.  Two  great  du- 
ties are  incumbent  on  the^inner  —  to 
lament  the  wickedness  of  the  past,  to 
supplicate  guidance  for  the  future  — 
reformation  and  devotion,  restitution 
and  piety.  He  cannot  truly  repent  of 
his  sins,  who  does  not  humble  him- 
self before  God,  and  beseech  his  par- 
don. And  he  cannot  truly  pray  to 
Him,  who  is  of  purer  eyes  than  to 
behold  iniquity,  who  does  not  deplore 
every  erring  step,  and  resolve  and 
strive  to  amend  his  course.  —  Jf  per- 
haps the  thought,  ^c.  Actions  are 
not  man's  only  sins.  The  field  of 
moral  responsibleness  includes  more 
than  his  mere  overt  conduct  The 
wide  empire  of  thoughts,  wishes,  im- 
aginings, falls  under  the  jurisdiction 
of  the  divine  laws.  Though  Simon 
had  only  thought,  not  executed,  his 
bad  design,  yet  for  the  conception  he 
was  accountable,  and  must  exercise 
repentance.  The  perhaps  of  tlie 
apostle  refers,  of  course,  not  to  any 
doubt  that  God  would  forgive  the 
sinful  thought,  if  repented  of,  but  to 
the  contino^ency  of  Simon's  repent- 
ance. God  is  gracious,  and  forgives 
every  sin  that  is  repented  of;  but  the 
question  here  was,  whether  the  evil 
man  would  repent  or  not.  Pardon 
follows  penitence  with  the  certainty 
of  effect  following  cause.  B-it  this 
was  a  species  of  sin  against  the  Ho- 
ly Spirit,  wjiich  argued  such  a  state 
of  mind  as  rendered  it  doubtful  wheth- 
er the  evil-doer  would  be  inclined 
to  repent,  and  fulfil  the  conditions  on 
which  alone  forgiveness  is  bestowed. 
See  notes  on  Mat  xii.  31,  32.  If  we 
have  sinned,  though  but  in  thought, 
11* 


if  our  bad  purpose  never  has  ripened 
into  tlie  bitter  fruit  of  positive  and 
overt  transgression,  yet  the  obliga- 
tions to  repent  and  pray  are  as  bind- 
ing upon  us  now,  as  they  were  upon 
Simon.  I'he  laws  of  the  Creator  are 
the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  for- 
ever. Dan.  iv.  27 ;  Joel  ii.  14 ;  Jo- 
nah iii.  9. 

23.  In  the  gall  of  bitterness.  To 
describe  the  deep  depravity  of  Si- 
mon, the  apostle  uses  this  figurative 
expression.  The  primary  sense  of 
gall  is  bile,  tlie  bitter  secretion  of 
the  liver ;  and  hence  comes  a  second- 
ary meaning  of  malignity,  bitterness 
of  spirit,  wickedness.  Simon  was  in 
the  condition  of  sin,  whose  ways  are 
hard  and  bitter.  Deut  xxix.  18; 
Rom.  iii.  14 ;  Heb.  xii.  15.  —  In  the 
bond  of  iniquity.  The  bad  man  is 
represented  as  bound  by  his  sins,  as 
a  prisoner  who  is  held  fast  by  his 
chains.  Prov.  v.  22.  The  sinner  is 
often  represented  in  the  Scriptures 
as  the  slave  of  sin,  as  he  truly  is. 
Jolin  viii.  34 ;  Rom.  vii.  23.  Simon 
was  in  a  bitter  and  enslaved  state. 
His  avarice,  vainglory,  and  hypoc- 
risy, had  thrown  many  a  chain  around 
his  spiritual  and  immortal  nature,  and 
infused  many  a  bitter  and  deadly 
drug  into  the  sweet  cup  of  life. 

24.  Pray  ye  to  the  Lord  for  me,  &/-€. 
Alarmed  by  the  severe  language  of 
Peter,  he  requests  his  intercession, 
as  believing  that  he  had  great  influ- 
ence with"^  that  mysterious  power 
whose  vengeance  he  feared ;  but  his 
own  language  intimates  that  his  re- 
pentance Avas  insincere  and  unwor- 
thy ;  that  he  desired,  not  so  much  to 
be  delivered  from  his  sins,  as  from 
their  inevitable  consequences.     Ver. 


126 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


ye  have  spoken  come  upon  me. And  they,  when  they  had  25 

testified  and  preached  the  word  of  the  Lord,  returned  to  Jeru- 
salem, and  preached  the  go'spel  in  many  villages  of  the  Sa- 
maritans. 

And  the  angel  of  the  Lord  spake  unto  Philip,  saying,  Arise  26 
and  go  toward  the  south,  unto  the  way  that  goeth  down  from 

20.  True  humility  and  penitence 
would  have  dictated  different  words. 
If  we  may  credit  tlie  accounts  of  ec- 
clesiastical history,  he  continued  an 
inveterate  enemy  to  the  gospel,  the 
great  heresiarch  of  Christian  antiqui- 
ty ;  but  probably  much  of  fable  min- 
gled in  iJiese  ancient  traditions.  It 
is  difficult  to  separate  the  wheat  from 
the  chaff.  Mr.  Norton,  in  his  late 
work  on  the  Genuineness  of  the  Gos- 
pels, considers  the  narrative  given 
by  Justin  Martyr,  respecting  the  ded- 
ication at  Rome  of  a  statue  to  Si- 
mon as  a  god,  as  probably  trustwor- 
thy, tliough  it  has  been  generally  set 
aside  by  Protestant  writers.  If  tliis 
fact  be  substantiated,  it  would  indi- 
cate the  continuance  of  Simon  in  his 
magical  practices,  and  his  visiting 
Rome,  as  reported  by  the  early  wri- 
ters. The  relation  of  Justin  Martyr 
is  contained  in  his  first  Apology  for 
Christianity,,  as  follows  :  "  Afler  the 
return  of  Christ  to  heaven,  the  de- 
mons put  forward  certain  men,  call- 
ing themselves  gods,  who  not  only 
were  not  persecuted,  but  were  hon- 
ored by  you.  Such  Avas  Simon,  a 
certain  Samaritan,  who,  during  the 
reign  of  Claudius  Cesar,  having 
performed  magical  works,  through 
the  art  and  power  of  demons,  in  yo7ir 
imperial  city  of  Rome,  was  account- 
ed a  god,  and  has  been  honored  by 
you  with  a  statue  as  a  god,  which 
statue  has  been  erected  on  the  is- 
land in  the  Tiber,  between  the  two 
bridges,  with  this  inscription  in  Latin: 
Simoni  Deo  Sando ;  and  almost  all 
the  Samaritans,  and  a  few  also  among 
other  nations,  acknowledge  and  wor- 
ship him  as  the  First  God." 


25.  JJnd  they,  ^c.  i.  e.  the  apostles 
Peter  and  John.  —  Testified.  No  lit- 
tle part  of  their  apostolic  office  con- 
sisted in  bearing  testimony  to  the 
fundamental  facts. of  Christianity. — 
Returned  to  Jerusalem.  As  the  head- 
quarters of  their  labors  and  influ- 
ence.—  In  many  villages,  &fc.  In 
this  missionary  tour,  they  found  the 
Samaritans  even  more  prepared  than 
the  Jews,  to  welcome  their  instruc- 
tions. 

26.  TJie  angel.  Properly,  an  an- 
gel. By  what  method  the  commu- 
nication was  made  to  Philip,  \\'hether 
internally  or  externally,  it  is  in  vain 
to  conjecture.  Ver.  29  would  indi- 
cate a  silent  suggestion  to  the  mind, 
without  any  voice  or  miraculous  ap- 
pearance.—  Toivard  the  souths  i.  e. 
from  Samaria,  where  Philip  then  was. 
—  Gaza.  This  was  one  of  the  most 
ancient  cities  of  Canaan,  Gen.  x. 
19,  and  was  celebrated  as  one  of  the 
five  cities  of  the  five  Philistine  lords. 
Josh.  X.  41,  XV.  47 ;  1  Sam.  vi.  17. 
It  was  the  scene  of  many  of  the 
exploits  of  Samson.  Judg.  xvi.  Gaza 
was  situated  about  sixty  miles  south- 
west from  Jerusalem,  at  a  distance 
of  about  two  and  a  half  miles  from 
the  Mediterranean  Sea.  Arrian  says 
"  that  it  was  the  last  inhabited  town 
as  a  man  goes  from  Phcenicia  to 
Egypt,  on  the  borders  of  the  wilder- 
ness." Its  situation  as  a  frontier 
town,  lying  between  Egypt  and  Pal- 
estine, on  the  great  route  of  the  mil- 
itary expeditions  between  Egypt  and 
the  kings  of  Assyria,  Persia,  and 
Syria,  subjected  it  to  all  the  changes 
and  barbarities  of  war.  It  was  cap- 
tured by  Alexander  the  Great,  in  his 


VIII.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


137 


27  Jerusalem  unto  Gaza,  which  is  desert.  And  he  arose,  and  went : 
and  behold,  a  man  of  Ethiopia,  a  eunuch  of  great  authority  under 
Candace  queen  of  the  Ethiopians,  who  had  the  charge  of  all  her 

28  treasure,  and  had  come  to  Jerusalem  for  to  worship,  was  return- 


expedition  into  Egypt;  Avas  rebuilt, 
and  afterwards  destroyed  again  by 
Alexander  Jannaeus,  and  again  re- 
built by  the  Roman  general  Gabin- 
ius ;  and,  from  the  fact  that  coins  ex- 
ist of  this  city,  struck  in  honor  of 
Titus  and  other  following  emperors, 
it  is  inferred  that  tlie  tenn  desert,  in 
this  verse,  referred  to  the  way,  and 
not  to  the  town,  which  was  flourish- 
ing at  this  time.  It  was  visited  by 
Robinson  in  1838,  and  he  computes 
its  population  as  consisting  of  fifteen 
or  sixteen  thousand  inhabitants,  be- 
ing larger  than  Jerusalem.  As  it  is 
situated  on  the  line  of  the  great  car- 
avans which  pass  between  Egyi)t  and 
Asia,  it  enjoys  a  considerable  and 
prosperous  commerce.  —  WMch  is 
desert,  i.  e.  which  way  lies  through  a 
desert,  or  thinly-peopled  region.  This 
was  probably  said  to  point  ouf  tlie 
road,  on  which  he  would  fall  in  with 
the  eunuch.  According  to  Rob- 
inson, there  appear  to  have  been  an- 
ciently two  roads  leading  from  Jeru- 
salem to  Gaza,  which  exist,  indeed,  at 
the  present  day,  though  not  gener- 
ally travelled.  One,  through  Eleu- 
theropolis  to  Gaza,  actually  passes 
now  through  tlie  desert,  i.  e.  a  tract 
of  country  without  villages,  inhabit- 
ed only  by  nomadic  Arabs. 

27.  Ethiopia.  There  were  two 
countries  called  Cush  or  Ethiopia  in 
Asia,  one  situated  in  the  region  of 
the  Tigris  and  Euphrates,  Zeph.  iii. 
10,  and  the  other  in  what  is  called 
Arabia  Felix.  2  Chron.  xxi.  16 ; 
Hab.  iii.  7.  But  this  was  the  Afri- 
can Ethiopia,  Ethiopia  Superior  or 
Proper,  lying  south  of  Egypt,  and 
now  including  Abyssinia,  Nubia,  and 
Sennaar,  tlie  capital  of  which  was 
Meroe,  which  name  was  also  some- 


times applied  to  the  whole  country.  — 
Candace.  We  learn,  from  ancient 
pagan  authors,  that  this  was  not  an 
individual  name,  but  the  title  of  the 
female  sovereigns  of  the  kingdom,  as 
Cesar  was  of  the  emperors  of  Rome, 
and  Seleucus  of  the  kings  of  Syria. 
Strabo,  speaking  of  an  insurrection 
of  tlie  Etliiopians  against  the  Ro- 
mans, says,  "  Among  Uiese  were  the 
officers  of  Queen  Candace,  who  in 
our  days  reigned  over  the  Ethio- 
pians." Pliny,  in  his  Natural  His- 
tory, in  speaking  of  Meroe,  says  that 
"  the  report  made  by  the  messen- 
gers of  Nero  was  that  the  edifices 
of  the  city  were  few ;  that  a  Avoman 
reigned  there  of  the  name  of  Can- 
dace, which  name  had  descended  to 
tlieir  queens  successively  for  many 
years."  These  authorities  are  of 
great  weight,  as  indicating  tliat  the 
epitliet  was  applied  to  tlie  queen  of 
that  country.  —  JVho  had  the  eharge 
of  all  her  treasure.  The  office  of 
treasurer  was  one  of  the  highest  in 
rank  and  responsibility,  as  is  apparent 
from  the  preceding  expression,  "  a 
eunuch  of  great  authority ; "  by 
which  is  implied  that  he  was  lord- 
chamberlain  of  the  royal  household, 
a  counsellor  of  state.  —  Had  come  — 
to  worship.  By  this  it  appears  that 
he  was  a  Jew,  or,  more  likely,  a 
Jewish  proselyte,  who  had  taken  this 
distant  journey  from  the  dictates  of 
piety,  in  order  to  be  present  at  one 
of  the  great  festivals  of  the  Jews, 
probably  that  of  the  Passover. 

28.  Sitting  in  his  chariot.  We 
learn  from  the  Scriptures,  that  wheel 
carriages  were  used  in  the  most  an- 
cient times.  Gen.  xlv.  19 ;  Ex.  xiv. 
25.  What  the  construction  of  the 
carriage  in  the  text  was,  cannot  be 


12^ 


THE   ACTS 


[Chap. 


ing;  and  sitting  in  his  chariot,  read  Bsaias  the  prophet.     Then  29 
the  Spirit  said  unto  Philip,   Go  near  and  join  thyself  to  this 
chariot.     And  Philip  ran  thither  to  him,  and  heard  him  read  the  30 
prophet  Esaias,  and  said,  Understandest  thou  what  thou  readestl 
And  he  said.  How  can  I,  except  some  man  should  guide  me  ?  31 
And  he  desired  Philip  that  he  would  come  up,  and  sit  with  him. 
The  place  of  the  scripture  which  he  read  was  this,  He  was  led  32 
as  a  sheep  to  the  slaughter ;  and  like  a  lamb  dumb  before  his 
shearer,  so  opened   he  not  his  mouth  :    in   his  humiliation  his  33 
judgment  was  taken  away:    and  who  shall  declare  his  genera- 


determined  with  any  accuracy,  since 
there  were  various  species  of  chari- 
ots, some  drawn  by  horses,  and  oth- 
ers by  oxen.  —  Read  Esaias  the 
prophet,  i.  e.  Isaiah.  The  Ethiopian 
probably  used  the  Greek  or  Septua- 
gint  version  of  the  Scriptures,  made 
at  Alexandria,  which  was  in  exten- 
sive circulation.  It  was  one  of  the 
directions  of  the  Jewish  Rabbins, 
that,  "  when  any  one  Avas  going  on 
a  journey,  and  had  not  a  companion, 
he  should  study  the  law."  Passages 
are  also  cited  from  their  Avritings,  in 
which  it  is  enjoined  that  students  of 
the  -word  of  God  should  read  aloud. 
After  the  narrative  of  Simon  Magus, 
that  of  the  Ethiopian  eunuch  seems 
to  be  introduced  as  by  Avay  of  con- 
trast ;  exhibiting,  as  it  does,  his  love 
of  the  Scriptures  and  of  the  trutli,  his 
simple  and  earnest  faith,  and  readi- 
ness to  follow  the  light,  and  profess 
the  gospel  as  soon  as  he  understood  it. 
We  see,  also,  that  his  color  and  liis 
country  made  him  of  none  tlie  less 
value  in  the  sight  of  tlie  Infinite  Fa- 
ther; for  he  commissioned  his  ser- 
vant specially  to  meet  and  instruct 
him ;  and,  as  is  supposed,  made  him 
an  instrument  of  spreading  the  gos- 
pel in  his  own  benighted  country. 

29.  The  Spirit  said  unto  Philip. 
By  which  some  understand  the  an- 
gel, ver.  26 ;  but  the  more  general 
and  probable  interpretation  is,  that 
he  received  a  spiritual  suggestion  or 


internal  prompting.  The  whole  pas- 
sage bears  the  traces  of  a  miraculous 
interposition.  —  Join  thyself  to  this 
chariot.  The  first  intimation,  ver. 
26,  was  general ;  this  one  was  par- 
ticular, lie  is  commanded  to  seek 
the  acquaintance  of  tlie  Ethiopian. 

30,  31.  Philip  ran.  Showing  the 
promptness  with  which  he  complied 
with  the  divine  monition.  —  Heard 
him  read.  As  he  Avas  reading  aloud. 
Ver.  28.  —  Understandest  thou  what 
thou  readest  ?  This  question  seemed 
to  b*e  dictated  by  a  knowledge  of  his 
state  of  mind,  and  of  tlie  aid  Avhich 
Avas  about  to  be  communicated  to 
enable  him  to  understand  the  Avord 
of  God.  The  inquiry  might  have 
been  uttered  Avith  such  a  tone,  as  to 
indicate  at  once  an  interest  and  an 
ability  to  communicate  tlie  needed 
instruction.  —  How  can  I,  except  some 
man,  &yC.  With  frankness  and  hu- 
mility the  eunuch  replied  to  the  ques- 
tion, in  tenns  Avhich  confessed  his 
ignorance  and  need  of  guidance. 
He  carried  in  his  swarthy  bosom  a 
truth-loving  and  truth-seeking  dis- 
position. And  while  many  a  learned 
doctor  of  the  laAv  was  unvisited  by 
any  special  messenger  of  salvation, 
to  this  humble-minded  African  was 
granted  an  inspired  teacher  to  en- 
lighten his  ignorance,  and  guide  his 
soul  in  the  Avay  of  trutli  and  peace. 

32,  33.  Place  of  the  scripture.     Is. 
liii.  7,  8.     It  is  quoted,  not  from  the 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


129 


VIII.] 

34  tion  ?    for  his  life  is  taken  from  the  earth.     And  the  eunuch 
answered  Philip,  and  said,  I  pray  thee,  of  whom  speaketh  the 

35  prophet  this  ?    of  himself,  or  of  some  other  man  1    Then  Philip 
opened  his  mouth,  and  began  at  the  same  scripture,  and  preached 


Hebrew,  but  from  the  Greek,  version, 
or  Septuagint,  which  was  probably 
employed  by  the  eunuch.  The  vari- 
ations in  the  sense  are  inconsidera- 
ble and  unimportant.  The  passage 
is  thus  rendered  by  Noyes,  in  his 
version  of  Isaiah :  — 

"  As  a  lamb,  that  is  led  to  the  slaughter, 
And  as  a  sheep  before  her  shearers  is  dumb, 
He  opened  not  his  mouth. 
By  oppression  and  punishment  he  was  taken 

away. 
And  who  of  that  generation  would  consider 
That  he  was  cut  off  from  the  land  of  the 

living?  " 

—  He  was  led  as  a  sheep,  Sfc.  By 
which  was  described  the  meekness 
and  submission  with  which  he  yield- 
ed to  his  sufferings  and  death.  No 
more  vivid  images  of  an  uncomplain- 
mg  resignation  could  be  adduced 
than  those  of  the  lamb,  dumb  before 
the  butcher,  and  of  the  sheep,  silent 
before  its  shearer:  When  Jesus  was 
unjustly  accused,  he  uttered  no  re- 
proaches against  Ms  enemies;  but 
bore  all  their  insults  and  indignities 
with  patience  and  composure,  and 
committed  himself  to  Him  who  judg- 
eth  righteously.  —  In  his  humiliation. 
In  his  lowly  and  depressed  condi- 
tion, in  his  extreme  distress.  —  His 
judgment  was  taken  away.  A  just 
trial  and  sentence  was  denied  him. 
His  condemnation  was  extorted.  He 
was  unjustly  condemned  and  put  to 
death.  —  Who  shall  declare  his  gen- 
eration'^ This  clause  has  afforded 
matter  for  a  great  variety  of  opinions 
among  interpreters ;  some  under- 
standing it,  Who  shall  declare  the 
duration  of  his  kingdom,  which 
is  to  be  perpetual?  or.  Who  can 
describe  his  spiritual  posterity  ?  or, 
Who  can  portray  the  wickedness  of 
that  generation  by  which  he  was  put 


to  death  ?  The  last  exposition  seems, 
on  the  whole,  preferable.  The  idea 
was,  to  represent  in  powerful  terms 
the  injustice  and  depravity  of  the 
men  of  that  period,  and  the  exclama- 
tion of  the  text  was  fitted  to  convey 
that  impression.  —  For  his  life  is 
taken  from  the  earth.  That  life,  so 
precious  and  so  pure,  is  taken  from 
the  earth  by  injustice  and  violence. 
What  greater  proof  could  there  be 
of  the  deep-dyed  guilt  of  that  gener- 
ation ?  As  has  been  observed,  "  Had 
Isaiah  been  writing  a  history  of  Je- 
sus of  Nazareth,  he  could  not  have 
drawn  a  more  vivid  and  accurate 
portrait  than  is  presented "  here  of 
the  submission  of  Christ,  and  the 
malignity  of  his  enemies.  It  would 
seem  that  no  doubt  could  exist,  as  to 
its  application  to  the  case  of  the 
Messiah,  for  Philip  immediately  pro- 
ceeds to  employ  it  in  that  sense,  and 
thence  to  preach  Jesus  to  the  Ethio- 
pian. Taking,  however,  both  of  the 
last  clauses  together,  as  a  friend 
suggests,  it  would  seem  not  improb- 
able that  the  prophet  was  speak- 
ing of  the  manner  in  which  men 
would  regard  the  Messiah's  death. 
They  would  say, "  No  generation  of 
disciples  shall  succeed:  there  is  a 
perpetual  end  to  his  dispensation. 
He  has  come  and  gone ;  who  is  left 
to  declare  his  generation?  for  his 
life  is  taken  away,  and  all  hope  ex- 
tinguished in  the  tomb." 

34,  35.  Answered.  Rather,  "  ad- 
dressed." —  Of  whom  speaketh  the 
prophet,  4'c.  He  wished  to  ascertam 
the  identity  of  the  person  spoken 
of  by  Isaiah,  and  the  individual  to 
whom  he  referred.  The  readiness 
with  which  the  eunuch  unfolded  his 
difficulties  to  his  spiritual  adviser, 


130 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


unto  him  Jesus.     And  as  they  went  on   their  way,  they  came  36 
unto  a  certain  water :   and  the'  eunuch  said,  See,  here  is  water ; 
what  doth  hinder  me  to  be  baptized  ?    And  Philip  said,  If  thou  37 
believest  with  all  thine  heart,  thou  mayest.    And  he  answered  and 


indicated  the  truth-seeking  spirit  by 
which  he  was  prompted.  It  is  said 
that  the  ancient  Jewish  "writers  un- 
derstood the  passage  as  referable  to 
the  Messiah ;  but,  in  later  times,  to 
evade  the  force  of  the  prophetical 
argument,  it  has  been  applied  to 
Isaiah  or  Jeremiah,  or  to  some  other 
prophet.  —  Began  at  the  same  scrip- 
ture. By  which  is  directly  implied 
that  that  passage  itself  referred  to  Je- 
sus Christ.  Luke  xxiv.  27,  44  -  46. 
—  Preached  unto  him  Jesus.  By 
which  is  meant  the  truth  of  Jesus, 
the  name  of  the  person  standing  for 
the  name  of  his  religion.  The  prin- 
cipal point  of  course  was,  to  identify 
Jesus  as  the  predicted  and  expected 
Messiah,  the  Son  of  God.  Ver.  37. 
In  addition  to  this  main  object  of 
establishing  tlie  essential  truth  of 
the  Messiahship,  it  would  appear, 
from  ver.  36,  that  he  enjoined  the 
profession  of  the  Christian  faith,  and 
a  compliance  with  its  ordinances. 

36.  A  certain  loater.  What  this 
water  was,  can  only  be  inferred  from 
the  nature  of  the  country  and  the 
testimony  of  travellers  and  others. 
It  is  a  region,  however,  in  which,  as 
is  well  known,  there  are  no  large 
bodies  or  streams  of  water.  Euse- 
bius  says,  "  It  was  a  fountain  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Bethsora,  in  the 
tribe  of  Judah,  between  Jerusalem 
and  Hebron."  Jerome,  also,  who 
had  visited  the  place,  says,  "  that 
the  water  gushes  up  at  the  foot  of  a 
hill,  and  is  soon  reabsorbed  in  the 
ground."  Brocard  remarks,  "  that 
the  pool  is  so  shallow  that  a  camel 
will  drink  it  to  muddiness."  Sandys 
says,  "  Gaza  is  situated  in  a  bottom 
between  two  rocky  mountains ;  and 
here  I  saw  tlie  ruins  of  an  ample 


church,  and  below  that  a  fountain, 
whose  pleasant  waters  are  forthwith 
drank  up  by  the  earth  which  pro- 
duced them.  Here,  they  say,  Phil- 
ip baptized  the  Ethiopian  eunuch, 
whereupon  it  retaineth  the  name  of 
'the  Ethiopian  fountain;'  and  no 
question  but  the  adjoining  temple  was 
erected  out  of  devotion  to  the  honor 
of  the  place  and  memory  of  the  fact." 
Maundrell  and  Pococke  have  also 
described  the  place.  Dr.  Harris,  a 
worthy  authority  in  such  investiga- 
tions, and  who  collected  the  above 
passages,  says,  "  It  was  this  shallow- 
ness of  the  fountain  which  makes 
this  reference  to  it  interesting,  by 
indicating  that  the  baptism  could  not 
have  been  by  immersion."  —  What 
doth  hinder  me,  S^c.  By  which  it 
appears  that  the  eunuch  had  been 
instructed  in  the  duty  of  Christian 
baptism  and  profession,  incumbent 
on  those  who  believed  in  Jesus  as 
the  Messiah.  Chap.  ii.  38,  41.  The 
spirit  which  he  manifested  is  worthy 
of  all  imitation —  honest,  prompt,  and 
devoted.  Chap.  xxii.  16.  "  And 
now,  why  tarriest  thou  ?  arise,  and 
be  baptized,  and  wash  away  thy  sins, 
calling  on  the  name  of  the  Lord." 

37.  Believest  with  all  thine  heart. 
"  With  the  heart  man  believeth  unto 
righteousness ;  and  witli  tlie  mouth 
confession  is  made  unto  salvation." 
Rom.  X.  10.  The  evangelist  enjoins 
as  essential,  not  simply  the  assent  of 
the  intellect,  or  the  faith  of  the  un- 
derstanding, but  the  earnest  trust  of 
tlie  heart  —  /  believe  that  Jesus  Christ 
is  the  Son  of  God.  Or,  as  it  would 
be  better  rendered,  that  Jesus,  the 
Christ,  is  the  Son  of  God ;  or  that 
Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God. 
The  simplicity  of  this  ancient  pro- 


vm.1 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


131 


38  said,  I  believe  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Son  of  God.  And  he 
commanded  the  chariot  to  stand  still  :  and  they  went  down  both 
into  the  water,  both  Philip  and  the  eunuch;    and  he  baptized 

39  him.  And  when  they  were  come  up  out  of  the  water,  the  Spirit 
of  the  Lord  caught  away  Philip,  that  the  eunuch  saw  him  no 


fession  is  worthy  of  especial  notice. 
"  How  short  and  simple  was  the 
faith  of  Christians  in  those  times ! 
Happy  would  it  have  been  for  the 
church,  if  no  more  articles  of  faith 
had  been  added  to  this  creed ! "  — 
This  verse  is,  however,  according-  to 
Griesbach  and  the  best  critics,  of  so 
doubtful  autliority,  not  being  found 
in  many  of  the  ancient  manuscripts, 
that  they  have  rejected  it  from  the 
text 

38.  They  went  down  both  into  the 
water.  Or,  more  properly,  to  the 
water,  for  the  preposition  does  not 
necessarily  signify  into.  All  believe 
that  they  went  down  to  the  water, 
and  some  think  that  they  entered 
into  it  That  depends  upon  what 
was  the  mode  of  baptism.  If  by 
sprinkling,  it  was  only  necessp„ry  to 
advance  to  the  water's  brink ;  if  by 
aftusion,  or  Avater  being  poured  upon 
the  head,  as  some  ancient  painters 
represent,  they  would  probably  go 
into  the  water ;  or  if  by  immersion, 
they  would  do  the  same.  If,  now, 
we  consider  the  object  of  the  ordi- 
nance of  boptism,  as  symbolic  of  re- 
pentance, purification,  and  self-con- 
secration to  the  cause  of  Christ,  the 
fulfilment  of  this  object  most  evi- 
dently depends,  not  upon  the  man- 
ner, but  the  spirit,  witli  which  the 
ceremony  is  performed,  provided  the 
manner  is  decent  and  proper;  just 
as  the  efficacious  observance  of  the 
Lord's  supper  does  not  consist  in  the 
time,  the  manner,  the  posture  of  tlie 
communicants,  tlie  precise  quality 
of  the  elements,  or  any  other  extrin- 
sic appendages,  but  in  the  spirit  of 
Christian  faith  and  love,  and  devo- 
tion to   the  cross,  with  wliicb  tlii^ 


beautiful  festival  is  observed.  "In 
the  arrangements  for  conducting  the 
services,  and  administering  the  rites, 
of  religion,  all  modem  denominations 
vary  from  the  primitive  forms,  as 
times,  climates,  manners,  and  cus- 
toms, vary." 

39.  When  they  were  come  vp  out  of 
the  water.  Or,  from  the  water,  would 
be  equally  proper.  — The  Spirit  of  the 
Lord  caught  away  Philip.  By  which 
has  sometimes  been  understood,  that 
the  evangelist  was  caught  away  and 
borne  through  the  air  to  Azotus. 
1  Kings  xviii.  12 ;  2  Kings  ii.  16. 
But  the  more  rational  interpretation 
is,  that  he  was  led  quickly  away  by 
an  intimation  of  the  Spirit,  or  by  a 
divine  instinct  or  prompting  that  he 
should  not  pursue  the  journey  farther 
Avith  the  Ethiopian  nobleman,  but 
turn  back  to  the  scenes  of  duty  in 
other  directions.  —  Saio  him  no  more. 
Because  he  had  withdrawn,  on  his 
return  to  his  family  and  brethren.  — 
Jind  he  went  on  his  ivay  rejoicing. 
Literally,  and  better, /or  he  went  on, 
&c.  That  is  the  reason  why  the 
eunuch  saw  him  no  more.  The  joy 
Avhich  he  felt  naturally  arose  from 
the  new  and  precious  light  which  he 
had  received,  and  the  blessed  faith 
which  he  had  professed ;  for  there 
are  no  deeper  springs  of  happiness 
capable  of  being  opened  in  the  hu- 
man soul  than  those  of  truth  and 
duty.  Eusebius,  in  his  Ecclesiastical 
History,  relates  that  the  Ethiopian, 
"  becoming  the  first  fruits  of  believ- 
ers throughout  the  world,  is  said  to 
have  been  the  first,  on  returning  to 
his  country,  that  proclaimed  the 
knowledge  of  God,  and  the  saving 
abode   of  our  Saviour  among  men. 


132 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


more :  and  he  went  on  his  way  rejoicing.     But  Philip  was  found  40 
at  Azotus :   and  passing  through,  he  preached  in  all  the  cities, 
till  he  came  to  Cesarea. 


So  that,  in  fact,  the  prophecy  ob- 
tained its  fulfilment  tlirough  him. 
'Ethiopia  stretched  forth  her  hands 
unto  God.'"  Ps.  Lxviii.  31.  But 
this  testimony,  though  corroborated 
by  Irenaeus,  Cyril,  and  Jerome,  is 
deemed  by  many  as  a  mere  tradition, 
unworthy  of  much  credit  For  it  is, 
furthermore,  said  that  the  Christian 
religion  was  not  preached,  at  least 
extensively,  in  that  country,  until 
the  fourth  century,  when  it  was  in- 
troduced by  Frumentius,  delegated 
for  that  object  by  Athanasius,  the 
bishop  of  Alexandria  in  Egypt. 

40.  Was  found.  As  observed  by 
Bloomfield,  "  The  air  of  the  expres- 
sion seems  to  refer  to  the  rapt  feel- 
ing with  which  Philip  left  the  eu- 
nuch and  went  to  Azotus."  —  Azotus. 
This  was  one  of  the  ancient  cities 
of  the  Philistines,  lying  about  30 
miles  south  of  Gaza,  and  called  in 
Hebrew  Ashdod.  JosJi.  xv.  47 ;  1 
Sam.  vi.  17.  It  is  a  seaport  on  the 
shores  of  the  Mediterranean.  It 
underwent  many  changes  in  the 
wars  between  the  Jews  and  other 
nations,  being  captured  by  the  As- 
syrians, Is.  XX.  1,  by  Judas  Mac- 
cabaeus,  1  Mace.  v.  68,  burned  by 
Jonathan,  his  brother,  1  Mace.  x.  84, 
and  rebuilt  by  the  Roman  general 
Gabinius.  Its  modern  name  is  £5- 
dud.  Robinson  says,  "  It  was  point- 
ed out  to  us,  upon  a  low,  round 
eminence,  with  trees  thick  around  it, 
like  a  wood,  probably  olives.  There 
are  said  to  be  no  ruins ;  and  the 
place  seems  now  to  be  only  an  ordi- 
nary Moslem  village." —  He  preached 
in  all  the  cities.  There  lay  on  the 
shores  of  the  IMediterranean,  or  at  a 
short  distance  from  it,  the  towns  of 
Jamnia,  Joppa,  Gilgal,  Lydda,  and 
others.  —  Cesarea.  Tliis  city  is  to 
be  distinguished  from  Cesarea  Phi- 


lippi,  in  Galilee.  It  was  in  Judea, 
on  the  sea-shore,  and  about  60 
miles  north-west  from  Jerusalem,  and 
about  90  north  from  Azotus.  Its 
ancient  name  was  Strato^s  Tower. 
Herod  the  Great  enlarged  the  city, 
and  named  it  Cesarea,  in  honor  of 
Augustus  Cesar,  the  Roman  empe- 
ror. It  contained  a  fine  harbor,  many 
most  splendid  temples,  palaces,  and 
other  edifices.  The  inhabitants  were 
chiefly  Greeks.  It  was  the  seat  of 
the  Roman  governor,  and  became 
the  capital  of  Palestine  after  the 
overthrow  of  the  holy  city.  Chap, 
xxiii.  23,  33.  Its  present  ruined  as- 
pect presents  a  striking  lesson  of  tlie 
instability  of  human  pomp  and  power, 
when  it  is  considered  that  it  was 
once  one  of  tlie  most  magnificent 
cities  in  the  Eastern  world.  Philip 
returned  to  Cesarea  because  it  was 
the  abode  of  his  family.  Chap, 
xxi.  8. 

This  chapter  opens  with  a  history 
of  the  dangers  which  beset  the 
church  in  tlie  persecution  following 
tlie  death  of  Stephen,  and  especially 
the  formidable  character  of  one  of 
the  persecutors.  So  young,  so  vigor- 
ous, and  powerful  an  enemy  seemed 
to  threaten  the  entire  extinction  of 
the  rising  cause  of  Christianity. 
But  we  shall  learn,  in  the  next  chap- 
ter, how  feeble  and  vain  is  the  power 
of  man,  however  learned,  zealous, 
and  influential,  in  contending  against 
truth  and  the  Author  of  truth. 

The  persecution  of  the  Christian 
flock,  too,  was  overruled  for  greater 
good  ;  for  their  dispersion  scattered, 
far  and  near,  tlie  seeds  of  divine 
truth,  and  enlarged  the  boundaries 
of  the  Saviour's  kingdom.  So,  in 
tlie  wise  and  beneficent  providence 
of  God,  is  good  educed  out  of  evil. 
The  Almighty  makes  the  wrath  of 


IX.] 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


1^ 


CHAPTER  IX. 

The  Conversion  of  Saul,  and  the  Miracles  of  Peter. 
And  Saul,  yet  breathing  out  threatenings  and  slaughter  against 


man  praise  him,  and  the  remainder 
of  wrath  he  will  restrain. 

In  Simon  Magus,  we  behold  a 
new,  and  even  more  fatal,  enemy- 
rising  up  against  Christianity;  for 
the  violent  persecutor  cannot  do  so 
much  mischief  as  the  secret  corrupt- 
er. The  former  lops  off  the  perhaps 
diseased  branches  of  a  vigorous  tree ; 
while  the  other  infuses  a  deadly  sap 
into  every  pore  and  leaf,  producing  a 
gradual  decay  and  ruin.  In  Simon 
appeared  first  the  incipient  form  of 
that  many-branched  corruption  which 
overspread  the  Christian  church,  and 
for  ages  made  "  a  gain  of  godliness," 
used  the  holy  name  of  Christ  to  sub- 
serve the  worst  purposes  of  party 
and  power,  and  sold  the  gifts  of 
Heaven,  and  the  sanctities  of  tlie 
Spirit  of  the  living  God,  for  "  filthy 
lucre." 

But  in  the  Ethiopian  eunuch,  there 
is  witnessed  that  beautiful  simplicity 
of  faith,  that  single  honesty  of  pur- 
pose, and  prompt  devotion  to  ti'uth 
and  duty,  which  present  a  pleasing 
contrast  to  the  rage  of  the  bigoted 
persecutor,  and  the  guile  of  the  sor- 
did magician.  So  in  all  ages  has 
there  been  a  holy  conservative  influ- 
ence, in  the  midst  of  the  elements 
of  persecution  on  one  side,  and  of 
corruption  on  the  other.  There  have 
ever  been  the  faithful,  few  or  many, 
w]io  have  served  God  Avith  true 
hearts,  and  left  behind  memories 
embalmed  in  every  virtue.  Be  these 
our  study  and  our  inspiration.  The 
most  distant  martyr  that  ever  died 
for  the  sike  of  Jesus,  the  humblest 
disciple  that  has  been  enrolled  in 
the  book  of  life,  go  to  make  a  part 
of  that  pure  galaxy  of  light  and 
glory,  by  which  our  moral  heavens 
are  illuminated,  and    the   morning 

VOL.    III.  12 


star  of  our  faith  attended  on  its  tri- 
umphant and  brightening  course. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

This  chapter  contains  one  of  the 
most  interesting  and  important  events 
in  the  early  history  of  Christianity  — 
the  conversion  of  Paul,  tlie  apostle 
to  the  Gentiles.  This  change,  from 
the  most  untiring  persecutor  of  the 
church  to  its  zealous  advocate  and 
martyr,  is  a  remarkable  proof  of  the 
truth  and  divine  origin  of  the  gospel, 
and  shows  that  a  more  than  mortal 
hand  was  stretched  out  to  guard  and 
guide  the  Christian  flock. 

1.  Saul.  He  is  before  introduced 
as  keeping  the  clothes  of  the  wit- 
nesses at  tlie  death  of  Stephen,  chap, 
vii.  58,  and  as  an  active  persecutor 
of  the  disciples.  Chap.  viii.  1,  3.  His 
history  is  here  resumed,  and,  with 
some  exceptions,  constitutes  the  chief 
substance  of  the  remaining  chapters 
of  this  book.  He  was  a  native  of 
Tarsus,  the  capital  of  Cilicia,  was 
educated  at  Jerusalem  under  Ga- 
maliel, and  possessed  great  abilities, 
both  natural  and  acquired,  uncon- 
querable zeal,  quick  perception,  bril- 
liant imagination,  never- wearied  per- 
severance, warm  affections,  ardent 
piety,  immense  power,  both  of  reso- 
lution and  endurance,  and  the  best 
learning  of  his  time  and  country. 
The  acquisition  of  such  a  man,  in 
the  energy  of  opening  manhood,  from 
the  side  of  the  enemy,  was  not  un- 
worthy of  divine  interposition.  —  Yet 
breathing  out  threatenings  and  slaugh- 
ter. He  was  not  content  with  the 
death  of  Stephen,  the  dispersion  of 
the  disciples,  and  the  abundant  evil 
he  had  already  eflfected  ;  but  he  still 
continued  to  breatlie  the  most  im- 
placable hostility.     As  in  chap.  viii. 


134 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


the  disciples  of  the  Lord,  went  unto  the  high-priest,  and  desired  2 
of  him  letters  to  Damascus  to  the  synagogues,  that  if  he  found 


3,  he  is  said  to  make  havoc,  like  a 
wild  beast,  of  the  church,  so  here  he 
is  represented  as  breathing  threat- 
enings  and  slaughter;  or,  as  some 
prefer,  laying  aside  the  idiom,  tlireat- 
enings  of  slaughter,  the  most  san- 
guinary spirit.  Similar  phrases  are 
used  by  ancient  authors.  Thus  Ho- 
mer speaks  of  "  the  Greeks  breathing 
strength."  Theocritus  uses  a  simi- 
lar phrase,  "  They  came  into  the 
assembly  breathing  mutual  slaugh- 
ter ; "  also,  Euripides  speaks  of  one 
"  breathing  out  fire  and  slaughter." 
Saul  was  filled  with  the  most  dead- 
ly hatred,  and  unquenchable  zeal, 
against  the  followers  of  Jesus.  There 
was  no  persecutor  so  furious,  and 
in  every  respect  so  formidable,  and 
none,  therefore,  so  desirable  to  gain, 
as  a  convert  to  Christianity.  Chap, 
xxvi.  10  - 12.  —  Jf'ent  unto  the  high- 
priest.  The  high-priest,  as  president 
of  the  Sanliedrim,  the  Jewish  coun- 
cil, would  sign  the  letters,  ver.  2,  or 
commission,  issued  in  their  name 
and  authority.  The  office  of  high- 
priest  was  at  that  time  held,  as  has 
been  supposed,  by  Theophilus,  a  son 
of  Annas,  or  Ananas,  chap.  iv.  6, 
who  was  substituted  for  his  brotlier 
Jonathan,  the  previous  incumbent, 
by  Vitellius,  governor  of  Syria,  as 
Josephus  relates  in  his  Antiquities, 
L.  18,  chap.  7. 

2.  JDtsind  of  him  letters,  i.  e.  cre- 
dentials from  the  council,  empower- 
ing him  to  act  in  behalf  of  their 
jurisdiction.  —  Damascus.  A  city  in 
Ccele-Syria,  distinguished  for  its 
antiquity,  splendor,  and  opulence. 
It  is  situated  on  the  River  Chry- 
sorrhoas,  or  Barradi,  in  a  deliglitful 
plain,  south-east  of  the  mountains  of 
Anti-Libanus.  Gen.  xiv.  1.5.  It  is 
about  140  miles  north-east  from  Jeru- 
salem. The  surrounding  country  is 
fertile,  the  climate  one  of  tlie  most 


pleasant  in  the  world,  so  that  it  has 
been  called  "  the  paradise  on  earth." 
It  has  in  all  ages  been  a  great  mart 
of  internal  commerce,  and  a  rendez- 
vous for  numerous  caravans.  It  has 
undergone  the  terrible  devastations 
of  war,  and  been  the  theatre  of  bat- 
tles and  sieges  innumerable.  It  is 
from  this  city  that  the  Damascus 
steel,  the  goods  called  damasks,  and 
roses  and  fi-uit-trees  of  the  same  name, 
receive  their  designation.  The  pres- 
ent population  is  estimated  at  from 
one  to  two  hundred  tliousand,  con- 
sisting of  Muhammedans,  Christians, 
and  Jews.  It  is  now  called  Da- 
masch,  or  Bemesch.  Came,  the  trav- 
eller, says  that  "The  celebrated 
plain  of  roses,  from  the  produce  of 
which  the  rich  perfume,  ottar  of 
roses,  is  obtained,  is  about  three 
miles  from  tlie  town.  The  place 
called  '  tlie  Meeting  of  the  Waters,' 
is  about  five  miles  to  the  north-west 
of  the  city.  Here  tlie  River  Barradi, 
which  may  be  the  ancient  Abana, 
being  enlarged  by  another  river 
which  falls  into  it,  about  two  miles 
off,  is  divided  into  several  streams, 
which  flow  through  the  plain.  The 
separation  is  the  result  of  art.  The 
streams,  six  or  seven  in  number,  are, 
some  of  them,  carried  to  water  the 
orchards  and  gardens  of  the  higher 
grounds,  others  into  the  loAver;  but 
all  meet  at  last  close  to  the  city,  and 
form  the  fine  cataract"  The  ancient 
road  from  Jerusalem  runs  near  Da- 
mascus, between  two  mountains,  ly- 
ing near  together ;  one  of  which  is 
called  Cocab,  "the  star,"  and  the 
other  JMedawer,  El  Cocab,  "  tlie  cir- 
cle of  lip-ht,"  in  commemoration  of 
the  dazzling  splendor  which  shone 
around  Paul.  Ver.  3.  —  To  the  syn- 
agogues. The  Jews  at  this  time  were 
very  numerous  in  Damascus ;  for 
Josephus    states   that,    at    different 


IX.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


135 


any  of  this  way,  whether  they  were  men  or  women,  he  might 

3  bring  them  bound  unto  Jerusalem.     And  as  he  journeyed,  he 
came  near  Damascus :    and  suddenly  there  shined  round  about 

4  him  a  light  from  heaven ;   and  he  fell  to  the  earth,  and  heard  a 
voice  saying  unto  him,  Saul,  Saul,  why  persecutest  thou  me  1 


times,  ten  thousand  and  eighteen 
thousand  were  slaughtered  at  once 
in  tlie  city.  The  Sanhedrim  pos- 
sessed great  control  over  all  the  Jews, 
resident  in  foreign  countries.  In 
what  veneration  it  was  held  may  be 
inferred,  says  Lightfoot,  from  this  — 
that  "The  rule  and  determination 
concerning  intercalating  the  year, 
concerning  the  beginning  of  tlie 
year,  and  the  appointed  time  of  the 
feasts,  &c.,  came  from  it;  as  also 
that  it  was  esteemed  a  keeper  and 
repository  of  the  oral  law."  —  Of 
this  way,  i.  e.  of  this  party  or  persua- 
sion, the  Christians.  Chap.  xix.  9, 23, 
xxiv.  14.  —  Men  or  women.  Show- 
ing the  indiscriminate  and  unsparing 
cruelty  which  animated  his  proceed- 
ings. —  Might  bring  them  hound  unto 
Jerusalem.  That  they  might  be  tried 
by  the  Sanhedrim.  However  pro- 
tected by  the  civil  authorities  of  the 
countries  in  wliich  they  resided,  the 
Jews  were  yet  bound,  by  a  certain 
religious  allegiance,  to  the  ecclesi- 
astical tribunal  in  the  holy  city. 
The  synagogues  were  answerable  to 
the  Sanhedrim.  If,  as  has  been  sup- 
posed, Aretas,  king  of  Arabia,  was 
ruler  at  Damascus  at  this  time,  he 
would  throw  no  obstructions  in  the 
way  of  Jewish  power  over  their  own 
believers ;  since,  if  not  a  proselyte, 
he  was  a  favorer  of  the  Jews.  Or, 
even  under  the  Roman  government, 
the  authority  of  the  high-priest  would 
probably  have  encountered  no  im- 
pediment in  the  execution  of  his 
plans,  so  far  as  ecclesiastical  aifairs 
were  concerned.  The  Sanhedrim 
took  cognizance  of  the  claims  of  re- 
ligious teachers  and  prophets,  and 
of  all  that  concerned  the  purity  or 


diffusion  of  their  faith  abroad,  no  less 
than  at  home. 

3.  He  came  near  Damascus.  The 
spot  is  still  pointed  out  by  the  credu- 
lous where  this  event  occurred,  near 
the  city  of  Damascus,  and  the  super- 
stition of  the  pilgrim  has  delighted 
in  carrying  away  some  token  from 
the  place;  but  the  identity  of  the 
particular  locality  is  quite  doubtful. 
—  Suddenly  there  shined  round  about 
him,  ^c.  The  suddenness  of  the  ap- 
pearance has  led  some  to  confound 
it  with  a  flash  of  lightning,  but  there 
is  no  intimation  of  any  such  natural 
phenomenon.  Every  circumstance 
in  the  narrative  proclaims  an  extra- 
ordinary occasion,  unlike  any  com- 
mon manifestation  of  the  elements. 
The  time  was  noon,  chap.  xxii.  6, 
when  the  senses  would  be  least  likely 
to  be  deceived;  Paul  was  in  com- 
pany with  others,  which  would  also 
diminish  the  opportunity  of  mistake, 
ver.  7;  the  light  is  represented  as 
surpassing  the  splendor  of  noonday, 
chap.  xxii.  6,  xxvi.  13:  thus  every 
particular  bespoke  the  impossibility 
of  any  illusion  of  the  eye  or  ear,  and 
of  any  other  than  the  certainty  of  a 
divine  interposition. 

4.  Heard  a  voice.  The  absurdity 
of  supposing  that  the  light  and  voice 
were  any  terrific  natural  phenomena, 
acting  upon  tlie  fears  and  fancies  of 
Paul,  has  been  well  set  forth  by 
Bloomfield.  A  dialogue  is  repre- 
sented as  being  held,  and  the  He- 
brew language  used.  Chap.  xxvi.  14. 
His  attendants  were  rendered  speech- 
less, ver.  7,  though  tliere  is  no  ev- 
idence that  they  were  under  the 
influence  of  any  high-wrought  emo- 
tions, favorable  to  an  illusion.    The 


m  THE  ACTS  [Chap* 

And  he  said,  Who  art  thou,  Lord?    And  the  Lord  said,  I  am  5 
Jesus  whom  thou  persecutest.    It  is  hard  for  thee  to  kick  against 
the  pricks.     And  he  trembling,  and  astonished,  said.  Lord,  what  6 


voice  is  not  called  thunder,  but  ar- 
ticulate speech ;  and  the  light  is  not 
called  lightning,  but  a  briglitness 
above  that  of  the  sun.  —  Said,  Saul. 
Expressive  of  earnest  address.  Luke 
X.  41,  xxii.  31 ;  Mat.  xxiii.  37.—  Why 
persecutest  thou  me  ?  Though  Saiil 
was  acting  in  the  name  of  the  high- 
priests  and  Sanhedrim,  his  agency 
was  seen  to  be  a  primary  moving 
cause,  and  he  was  addressed  indi- 
vidually ;  while,  on  the  other  hand, 
though  he  was  engaged  in  hunting 
after  the  lives  of  the  disciples,  Jesus 
identified  himself  as  the  chief  mark 
at  which  the  persecution  was  amied. 
To  persecute  his  disciples,  he  con- 
sidered as  persecuting  himself,  Mat. 
XXV.  45 ;  and  to  aid  his  followers,  he 
graciously  accepted  as  service  done 
personally  to  him. 

5.  Who  art  thou,  Lord?  Kenrick 
remarks,  that  "The  ready  answer 
which  Saul  gives  to  the  question  pro- 
posed to  him,  shows  that  he  could 
not  be  struck  to  the  ground  by  light- 
ning ;  for  that  deprives  men  of  the 
use  of  their  mental  faculties,  as  well 
as  of  their  sight"  By  Lord,  Saul 
means  simply  to  use  a  word  of  ad- 
dress, which  is  frequently  translated 
sir,  John  iv.  19,  for  he  was  not  yet 
aware  of  the  dignity  of  the  individual 
who  spoke  to  him.  —  I  am  Jesv^ 
whom  tfwu  persecutest.  In  chap.  xxii. 
8,  the  despised  designation  was  add- 
ed, "  of  Nazareth."  It  is  apparent 
that  Christ  appeared  personally  to 
the  apostle,  as  if  to  qualify  him  for 
his  new  office.  1  Cor.  ix.  1,  xv.  8,  9. 
Whether  he  had  seen  Jesus  during 
his  life  is  not  known,  but  is  mere 
field  of  conjecture.  —  It  is  hard  for 
thee  to  kick  against  the  pricks.  Or,  it 
is  impossible  for  thee  to  kick  against 
tlie  goads.  These  were  sticks  point- 
ed with  sharp  iron,  used  in  driving 


oxen.  See  Judg.  iii.  31 ;  1  Sam.  xiii. 
21.  The  expression  is  proverbial, 
and  is  found  in  many  ancient  wri- 
ters. The  sense  of  it  is,  that  it  is  folly 
to  attempt  to  resist  a  power,  when,  by 
resistance,  injury  follows  only  to  him 
who  makes  it ;  as  the  restive  ox  that 
kicks  against  the  goad  of  the  driver 
only  injures  himself.  Euripides  says, 
"I,  who  am  a  frail  mortal,  should 
rather  sacrifice  to  him  who  is  a  God, 
than,  by  giving  place  to  anger,  kick 
against  the  goads."  ^schylus  gives 
the  injunction,  "  Kick  not  against  the 
goads."  Pindar,  likewise,  —  "It  is 
profitable  to  bear  willingly  the  as- 
sumed yoke ;  to  kick  against  the  goads 
is  pernicious  conduct."  The  sense 
is  clear :  Saul,  by  resisting  the  cause 
of  Christ  and  God,  was  only  wound- 
ing himself;  as  has  been  said,  "  He 
that  strikes  the  adamant  is  himself 
stricken ;  and  he  that  kicks  the  goads 
is  himself  goaded."  His  attack  upon 
the  church  would  only  recoil  upon 
himself  in  a  terrible  retribution.  Such 
is  the  eternal  law.  He  who  resists 
the  cause  of  truth,  is  himself  visited 
with  the  infiictions  he  would  heap 
upon  others.  Mat.  xvi.  18  ;  Acts  v. 
39.  Such  is  the  condition  of  all 
who  suppress  the  admonitions  of  con- 
science, and  resist  the  will  of  God. 
They  dash  themselves  against  sharp 
spikes,  and  are  thrown  back  wound- 
ed, bleeding,  dying.  The  way  of 
transgressors  is  emphatically  hard.  It 
should  be  stated  that  the  last  clause 
of  this  verse,  with  the  first  of  the 
next  until  the  word  arise,  is  omitted 
by  Griesbach  and  other  critics,  who 
suppose  that  it  was  probably  foisted 
into  the  text  here  from  the  parallel 
passage  in  chap.  xxii.  10,  xxvi.  14, 
where  it  occurs. 

6.  Trembling  and  astonished.    He 
trembled  under  the  reproaches  of  a 


IX.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


137 


wilt  thou  have  me  to  do?     And  the  Lord  said  unto  him,  Arise, 
and  go  into  the  city,  and  it  shall  be  told  thee  what  thou  must  do. 

7  And  the  men  which  journeyed  with  him  stood  speechless,  hear- 

8  ing  a  voice,  but  seeing  no  man.     And  Saul  arose  from  the  earth; 


wounded  spirit,  and  was  astonished 
at  the  sudden  apparition  which  burst 
upon  his  view,  and  arrested  his  evil 
career.  —  Lord,  what  loilt  thou  have 
me  to  do')  Saul  elsewhere  declared 
that  he  sinned  ignorantly  and  in  un- 
belief, verily  thinking  that  he  was 
doing  God  service  by  persecuting  the 
Christians.  Hence,  as  soon  as  the 
path  of  duty  was  pointed  out  to  him, 
he  shoAved  a  readiness  to  walk  in  it. 
His  sin  had  been  ignorance,  a  blind 
adherence  to  an  unenlightened  con- 
science, a  dogged  submission  to  his 
old  Jewish  prejudices  and  bigotiy. 
But  when  light  from  heaven  flashed 
upon  him,  though  it  blinded  his  phys- 
ical sight,  it  shone  into  the  darkened 
chambers  of  his  mind,  and  showed 
him  what  manner  of  spirit  lie  was  of, 
and  converted  him  from  the  error  of 
his  way.  There  is  no  evidence  that 
any  miracle  was  wrought  upon  the 
mind  of  Saul,  but  only  externally. 
The  supernatural  cause  produced  a 
natural  result,  in  awakening  his  won- 
der, presenting  new  evidence  to  his 
understanding,  and  addressing  new 
motives  to  his  heart.  No  parallel 
can  be  drawn  between  the  change 
of  Paul  and  modern  cases  of  conver- 
sion to  Christianity.  He  was  arrest- 
ed in  his  course  for  a  greater  object 
than  his  mere  individual  benefit ;  and 
his  fidelity  to  his  sense  of  right, 
though  dark  and  degraded,  s-^emed 
yet  to  furnish  a  ground  for  the  re- 
Avard  granted  him,  in  having  a  spe- 
cial interposition  to  snatch  him  from 
destruction.  At  this  day,  we  can 
expect  only  the  natural  influences 
of  the  divina  Spirit;  and  to  wait  for 
miracles,  is  to  abandon  one's  self  to 
ruin.  —  Go  into  the  city,  i.  e.  Damas- 
cus, at  which  tliey  had  now  nearly 
12* 


arrived.  Ver.  3.  —  It  shall  be  told  thee, 
^c.  In  the  first  emotions  of  an  agi- 
tated mind,  possessed  of  the  stronor 
passions  of  Saul,  it  Avas  no  time  to 
communicate  information  respecting 
his  duty.  We  see,  in  the  gradual- 
ness  even  of  his  sudden  conversion, 
a  careful  compliance  with  the  great 
laAvs  of  the  human  soul,  and  an  adap- 
tation to  its  wants. 

7.  Stood  speechdess.  They  had  aris- 
en after  falling  to  the  earth,  and  re- 
mained speechless  from  amazement. 
There  is  an  apparent  discrepancy,  if 
we  compare  these  words  witli  chap, 
xxvi.  34;  but  it  is  only  apparent; 
for  at  first  they  had  fallen  to  the 
ground  Avith  the  terror  produced  by 
the  instantaneous  flash  of  light,  and 
the  noise  succeeding  or  accompany- 
ing it.  —  Hearing  a  voice.  But  in 
chap.  xxii.  9,  it  is  expressly  said, 
"  They  heard  not  the  voice  that  spake 
to  m'^."  These  clauses  may  be  rec- 
onciled, either  by  understanding  the 
Avord  to  signify,  in  this  instance,  the 
simple  act  of  hearing,  and  in  the 
other  that  of  understanding;  or  by 
regarding  the  voice  to  mean  here 
mere  sound,  as  it  sometimes  does, 
and  in  the  other  instance  an  articu- 
late speech,  Avhose  meaning  they 
could  distinguish.  But  both  meth- 
ods, in  reality,  amount  to  the  same 
thing.  —  Seeing  no  man.  The  only 
object  they  Avitnessed  Avas  a  general 
brilliant  light;  but  we  may  infer, 
from  ver.  17,  27,  chap.  xxii.  14;  1 
Cor.  ix.  1,  XV.  8,  that  Paul  actually 
beheld  the  form  of  Jesus  at  this 
time. 

8,  9.  When  his  eyes  were  opened,  he 
saw  no  man.  What  he  had  seen 
was  not  evident  to  the  external 
sense,  but  to  tlie  mind ;  and  when 


r38 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


and  when  his  eyes  were  opened,  he  saw  no  man :  but  they  led 
him  by  the  hand,  and  brought  liim  into  Damascus.     And  he  was  9 

three  days  without  sight,  and  neither  did  eat  nor  drink. And  10 

there  was  a  certain  disciple  at  Damascus,  named  Ananias;   and 
to  him  said  the  Lord  in  a  vision,  Ananias.    And  he  said.  Behold, 
I  am  here,  Lord.     And  the  Lord  said  unto  him,  Arise,  and  go  11 
into  the  street  which  is  called  Straight,  and  inquire  in  the  house 


the  excitement  was  past,  and  he 
arose  from  the  earth,  he  first  found 
that  he  had  been  struck  blind,  and 
that,  though  his  eyes  were  capable 
of  being  opened,  they  yielded  no 
sight  The  loss  of  his  vision  might 
have  been  natural,  though  the  cause 
was  supernatural ;  for  it  is  said,  in 
chap.  xxii.  11,  to  liave  been  produced 
by  the  intensity  of  the  light.  Where 
a  sufficient  cause  for  any  effect  is 
known,  it  is  unpliilosophical  to  as- 
sign any  additional  or  greater  cause. 
Such  is  tlie  fact  in  relation  to  the 
blindness  of  Saul.  But  in  relation 
to  his  conversion,  by  the  same  rule, 
it  is  philosophical,  as  well  as  scriptu- 
ral, to  believe  the  cause  was  super- 
human ;  for  thus  only  can  the  great 
effect  produced  be  rationally  ac- 
counted for.  —  Three  drnjs,  ^'c.  The 
period  for  Saul's  blindness  and  fast- 
ing was  probably  ordy  a  part  of  three 
days,  according  to  the  Jewish  reck- 
oning. The  event  occurred  on  one 
day ;  for  a  whole  day  he  remained 
without  light  or  food ;  and  on  the 
third  he  was  visited  by  Ananias. 
Thus  the  resurrection  of  Christ  took 
place  after  three  days,  i.  e.  after  the 
third  day  began.  The  condition  of 
Saul  Avas  highly  favorable  to  unin- 
terrupted and  serious  meditation.  He 
had  been  suddenly  arrested  in  his 
furious  career.  He  had  heard  the 
words  of  tliat  Messiah,  whose  disci- 
ples he  was  dragging  to  prison  and 
to  death.  It  was  the  crisis  of  his 
moral  being,  the  dread  pause  be- 
tween good  and  evil,  life  and  death. 
It  was  well  that  external   objects 


were  excluded  for  a  season,  that  bis 
thoughts  might  turn  inward  upon 
themselves,  that  he  might  take  a  new 
reckoning  on  the  sea  of  life,  and  ma- 
ture the  exercises  of  a  devout  and 
deeply  contrite,  yet  hopeful  and  res- 
olute spirit,  bent  upon  doing  with  its 
might  whatever  it  found  to  do.  To 
fast,  under  such  circumstances,  was 
not  an  obedience  to  custom,  but  a 
dictate  of  nature. 

10.  A  certain  disa'ph,  i.  e.  a  Jew- 
ish convert  to  Christianity.  His  ex- 
cellent character  is  described  in  chap, 
xxii.  12.  It  has  been  conjectured, 
but  Avithout  any  historical  evidence, 
tliat  he  Avas  one  of  the  seventy  mis- 
sionaries appointed  by  Christ.  Luke 
X.  1 .  Nothing  is  furtlier  known  of 
him  than  what  is  introduced  in  this 
connexion.  He  was  immortalized 
by  his  participation  in  these  events 
in  the  life  of  him,  who  Avas  at  once 
the  greatest  enemy  and  the  greatest 
friend  to  Christianity.  — In  a  vision. 
Whether  in  sleep  or  not,  is  left  un- 
determined. Suffice  it  to  say,  it  Avas 
a  supernatural  suggestion,  shown  to 
be  so  by  the  fact,  that  communica- 
tions Avere  made  directly  contrary  to 
the  opinions  and  feelings  of  Ananias. 
—  Behold,  I  am  here,  Lord.  Words 
Avhich  attested  his  cheerful  readi- 
ness to  obey  the  mandates  of  Heaven, 
Avhatever  they  might  be.  Gen.  xxxi. 
11;  1  Sam.  iii.  4.  Our  obedience, 
to  be  acceptable  to  God,  must  be  not 
only  complete,  but  prompt  and  cheer- 
ful. 

11.  Street  ivhich  is  called  Straight. 
The  inhabitants  profess  to  identify 


IX.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


m 


of  Judas  for  one  called  Saul  of  Tarsus :   for  behold,  he  prayeth, 

12  and  hath  seen  in  a  vision  a  man  named  Ananias,  coming  in,  and 

13  putting  Ids  hand  on  him,  that  he  might  receive  his  sight.     Then 
Ananias  answered,  Lord,  I  have  heard  by  many  of  this  man,  how 

U  much  evil  he  hath  done  to  thy  saints  at  Jerusalem :  and  here  he 


tliis  street  and  other  sacred  localities, 
even  to  the  present  day.   Thus  Carne 
says  that  "The   street,  still  called 
Straight,  and  where  St.  Paul  is  with 
reason  said  to  have  lived,  is  entered 
by  the  road  from  Jerusalem.     It  is 
as  straight  as  an  arrow,  a  mile  in 
length,  broad,  and  well  paved.      A 
lofty  window  in  one  of  the  towers  to 
the  east,  is  shown  us  as  the  place 
where  the  apostle  was  let  down  in  a 
basket     In  the  Avay  to  Jerusalem  is 
the  spot  where  his  course  was  arrest- 
ed hy  the  light  from  heaven."  Maun- 
drell,  also,  in  his  Journey,  says, "  This 
morning  Ave  went  to  see  the  street 
called  Straight.     It  is  about  half  a 
mile  in  length,  running  from  east  to 
west  through  the  city.     It  being  nar- 
row, and  tlie  houses  jutting  out  in 
several   places   on   both   sides,  you 
cannot  have  a  clear  prospect  of  its 
length    and    straightness.      In    this 
street  is  shown  the  house  of  Judas, 
with  whom  Paul  lodged  ;  and  in  the 
same  house  is  an  old  tomb,  said  to  be 
Ananias's  ;  but  how  he  should  come 
to  be  buried  here  they  could  not  tell 
us,   nor   could    we    guess,  his   own 
house    being  shown  us   in   another 
place.     However,  the  Turks  have  a 
reverence  for  this  tomb,  and  main- 
tain a  lamp  always  burning  over  it." 
—  Judas.     Nothing  is  further  known 
of  this  individual,  except  the  present 
record.  —  Said  of  Tarsus.     Tarsus 
was  a  city  of  Asia  Minor,  the  capi- 
tal of  Cilicia,  distinguished   for  its 
literature   and  Grecian   philosophy; 
and,   on    account   of  its   numerous 
schools  and  learned  men,  was  ranked 
with  Athens  and  Alexandria,  or  even 
preferred  before  them.     On  account 
of  the  services  which  this  place  ren- 


dered in  the  civil  wars  and  commo- 
tions, it  was  made  free  by  Augustus, 
the  Roman  emperor,  and  enjoyed 
certain  peculiar  immunities ;  and  it 
has  been  supposed  by  some,  though 
doubted  by  others,  that  its  inhabit- 
ants enjoyed  the  privileges  of  Ro- 
man citizenship.  —  Behold,  he  pray- 
eth. As  it  were,  a  general  designa- 
tion of  the  ruling  sentiment  of  Paul's 
mind  at  the  time,  as  devotional  and 
supplicatory.  The  spirit  of  wrath 
and  headlong  zeal  was  laid  aside. 
He  assumed  an  humbler  and  more 
penitential  attitude,  more  appropriate 
to  the  sinfulness  of  his  past  life,  and 
significant  of  the  holy  and  beautiful 
office  he  was  henceforth  to  discharge, 
as  an  awaken  er  of  devotion  in  mul- 
titudes of  hearts  in  all  ages.  The 
fervor  of  his  Epistles  teaches  us  what 
was  the  fervor  of  his  prayers. 

12.  Hath  seen  in  a  vision.  As  re- 
marked by  Farmer,  "Saul,  though 
now  blind,  saw  Ananias  as  clearly, 
in  representation  or  vision,  as  he  did 
when  he  appeared  to  him  visibly,  up- 
on the  recovery  of  his  sight  This 
is  one  proof,  amongst  many  others, 
that  the  miraculous  scenes  of  a  vis- 
ion were  not  always,  if  ever,  placed 
before  the  bodily  eye,  but  were  dis- 
cerned by  the  mind  without  the  as- 
sistance of  the  corporeal  organ." 
The  correspondence  between  the 
two  visions  evinces  their  common  and 
divine  source.  —  That  he  might  re- 
ceive his  sight.  The  restoration  of 
his  sight  was  one  of  the  first  and 
most  palpable  blessings  he  could  re- 
ceive. 

13,  14.  /  have  heard  hy  many.  It 
was  common  report  that  Saul  was 
the  most  formidable  persecutor  of 


140 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


hath  authority  from  the  chief-priests,  to  bind  all  that  call  on  thy 
name.     But  the  Lord  said  unto  him,  Go  thy  way :   for  he  is  a  15 
chosen  vessel  unto  me,  to  bear  my  name  before  the  Gentiles,  and 
kings,  and  the  children  of  Israel.     For  I  will   show  him  how  16 


the  Christian  body.  —  To  thy  saints. 
By  which  is  meant  simply  the  disci- 
ples of  Christ,  without  reference  to 
moral  character  or  peculiar  sanctity 
of  mind.  Under  the  Jewish  dispen- 
sation, all  who  were  embraced  in  the 
covenant  of  God's  people  were  called 
saints,  not  out  of  respect  to  their  ab- 
solute goodness,  but  their  relative 
privileges  as  compared  with  the  sur- 
rounding idolaters.  Thus,  under  the 
reign  of  Christ,  those  were  designat- 
ed by  the  same  title  who  had  become 
converted  from  Judaism  and  heathen- 
ism, irrespective  of  tlieir  proficiency 
in  the  divine  life.  They  had  become, 
as  it  were,  ceremonially  clean  and 
holy,  as  the  Jews  had  formerly  been, 
and  were  entitled  to  the  epithet  in 
question.  The  terra,  in  both  cases, 
"  denotes  what  is  supposed  to  be  the 
case  in  persons  so  designated,  and 
suggests  what  they  ought  to  &e."  — 
Ha^.  authority,  &fc.  Ver.  2,  chap.  viii. 
3.  Information  had  apparently  been 
communicated,  in  advance,  to  the 
Christians  at  Damascus  to  prepare 
for  the  onset  of  Saul  among  them, 
who  was  coming  empowered  with 
ample  ecclesiastical  authority,  and 
raging,  like  a  beast  of  prey,  to  seize 
his  unhappy  victims.  —  That  call  on 
thy  name.  A  mistaken  rendering, 
conveying  an  unauthorized  inference. 
Since  thy  refers  back  to  Lord,  and 
Lord  refers  to  Jesus,  it  has  been 
concluded  that  the  disciples  were 
termed  those  who  invoked  or  prayed 
to  Christ  But  the  participle  can  be 
taken,  indifferently,  either  as  the 
passive  voice,  signifying  those  called 
after  thy  nnme,  or  surnamed  after 
thee ;  or  middle  voice,  signifying 
those  that  called  themselves  after  thy 
name.     Acts  xv.  17.     This  is,  there- 


fore, an  appellation  of  Christians, 
and  not  a  statement  of  the  object  to 
which  their  religious  worship  was  di- 
rected. In  these  two  verses,  Ana- 
nias indirectly  expresses  his  fears  of 
encountering  the  terrible  persecutor, 
as  if  some  stratagem  had  been  laid 
to  decoy  him  into  the  jaws  of  de- 
struction. 

15.  He  is  a  chosen  vessel  unto  me. 
Literally,  a  vessel  of  choice.  So  far 
from  Ananias  shrinking  from  an  in- 
terview with  Saul,  he  was  enjoined 
to  seek  it,  as  the  means  of  advancing 
in  the  highest  degree  the  cause  he 
had  most  at  heart  Saul  was  to  be 
a  chosen  vessel — a  figurative  expres- 
sion, implying  that  he  would  be  em- 
inently useful  in  promoting  the  re- 
ligion of  Jesus.  Gal.  i.  1.  The 
Jewish,  Greek,  and  Roman  writers 
were  accustomed  to  this  phrase.  Po- 
lybius  says  of  Damocles,  that  "  He 
was  a  useful  instrument,  and  fit  for 
the  management  of  affairs."  —  To 
bear.  Still  continuing  the  figurative 
expression  of  the  vessel,  in  which 
any  thing  might  be  carried  from 
place  to  place.  —  Gentiles  —  kings  — 
the  children  of  Israel.  The  predic- 
tion Avas  fulfilled :  Saul  became  the 
bearer  of  the  glad  tidings  of  the  gos- 
pel to  the  heathen  world,  the  apostle 
to  the  Gentiles.  Chap.  xxii.  21 ;  Rom. 
xi.  13,  XV.  16.  He  advocated  the 
cause  of  Christianity  before  kings 
and  rulers,  and  the  great  men  of  the 
earth,  chaps,  xxv.  xxvi.  xxvii.,  and  it 
was  uniformly  his  practice  to  make 
the  first  appeal  to  his  own  brethren. 
Chap.  xiv.  1,  xvii.  I,  2. 

1(3.  Hoiv  great  things  he  must  suf- 
fer. One  reason  why  Ananias  need 
not  dread  to  approach  the  once  ter- 
rific persecutor  of  his  brethren,  was 


IX.]                                  OF  THE  APOSTLES.  141 

17  great    things   he   must    suffer    for    my    name's    sake. Arid 


Ananias  went  his  way,  and  entered  into  the  house  :  and  putting 
his  hands  on  him,  said,  Brother  Saul,  the  Lord  (even  Jesus  that 
appeared  unto  thee  in  the  way  as  thou  earnest)  hath  sent  me, 
tliat  thou  mightest  receive  thy  sight,  and  be  filled  with  the  Holy 

18  Ghost.  And  immediately  there  fell  from  his  eyes  as  it  had  been 
scales :  and  he  received  sight  forthwith,  and  arose,  and  was  bap- 

ly  tized.  And  when  he  had  received  meat,  he  was  strengthened. 
Then  was  Saul  certain  days  with  the  disciples  which  were 


ver.  15,  that  he  had  been  specially 
selected  as  a  mighty  agent  in  pro- 
moting Christianity :  another  reason 
is  alleged  in  this  verse,  viz.,  that  he 
was  to  give  the  ultimate  proof  of  his 
sincerity  and  devotedness  by  suffer- 
ing, and  greatly  suffering,  in  behalf 
of  the  gospel.  Some  understand 
that  a  special  revelation,  by  vis- 
ion or  otherwise,  would  be  made 
to  Saul  of  his  future  sufferings  and 
martyrdom ;  others,  tliat  Christ  would 
give  an  example  in  him  of  what 
ought  to  be  cheerfully  undergone  for 
the  sake  of  human  salvation ;  that  he 
would  prove  an  illustrious  evidence 
how  much  men  could  and  ought  to 
endure  for  so  excellent  an  object 
Whichever  method  is  admitted,  it  af- 
fects not  the  general  fact  of  the  un- 
common endurance  of  the  apostle  to 
the  Gentiles,  and  of  tlie  mountains 
of  toil,  and  pain,  and  affliction,  which 
oppressed,  but  could  not  crush,  his 
indomitable  spirit.  Chap.  xx.  23,  xxv. 
11 ;  1  Cor.  XV.  10,  19 ;  2  Cor.  xi.  23 
-28;  2  Tim.  iii.  10-] 2. 

17.  Putting  his  hmids  on  him.  In 
tlie  way  of  conferring  a  blessing, 
agreeably  to  Oriental  custom,  Mat. 
xix.  13,  not  as  a  peculiar  ceremony, 
essential  to  ordination  and  induction 
into  the  ministerial  office.  If  the 
theory  of  ecclesiastical  government 
held  by  some  be  true,  it  would  seem 
to  be  necessary  that  the  hands  of  the 
apostles,  and  not  those  of  a  mere  pri- 
vate Christian,  should  be  laid  upon 
the  head  of  Paul ;  though  it  may  be 


claimed  that  that  was  done,  chap, 
xiii.  3,  yet  that  act  was  not  apparent- 
ly apostolic,  and  Saul  had  previously 
exercised  the  office  of  a  Christian 
preacher.  Ver.  20, 22,  29.  —  Brother 
Saul.  The  fraternal  designation,  to 
indicate  his  reception  into  the  Chris- 
tian brotherhood,  and  the  confidence 
reposed  in  his  conversion.  —  Even. 
This  word  is  not  in  the  original,  and 
is  entirely  superfluous.  —  That  ap- 
peared unto  thee.  Implying  the  per- 
sonal appearance  of  the  Saviour  to 
his  new  convert.  —  Receive  thy  sigJtt 
— filled  ivith  the  Holy  Ghost.  Ananias 
was  advanced,  on  this  occasion,  to  the 
high  honor  of  being  the  medium  to 
communicate  a  miraculous  cure  and 
spiritual  influence,  such  as  elsewhere 
devolved  upon  the  apostles.  Proba- 
bly he  gave  other  instructions  at  this 
time,  which  are  not  recorded,  adapt- 
ed to  Saul's  condition  and  calling. 
Chap.  xxii.  12  - 16. 

18,  19.  There  fell  from  his  eyes  as 
it  had  been  scales.  It  is  not  said,  or 
probably  intended,  as  some  inter- 
preters have  taken  it,  that  scales  lit- 
erally fell,  from  his  eyes,  but  that  the 
recovery  of  his  sight  took  place,  as 
if  scales  had  dropped  from  the  or- 
gans of  vision.  The  restoration  of 
sight  was  instantaneous.  No  natu- 
ral remedies  were  applied  to  heal 
him.  Ananias  had  been  specially 
commissioned  for  this  cure  and  spir- 
itual communication,  and  no  doubt, 
therefore,  is  left  that  though  tlie 
blindness   was   naturally  produced, 


142 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


at  Damascus.     And  straightway  he  preached  Christ  in  the  syna-  20 
gogues,  that  he  is  the  Son  of  God.     But  all  that  heard  him  were  21 
amazed,  and  said,  Is  not  this  he  that  destroyed  them  which  called 
on  this  name  in  Jerusalem,  and  came  hither  for  that  intent,  that 


yet  that  the  restoration  was  miracu- 
lous. —  Arose  and  was  baptized.  Bap- 
tism was  ever  the  initiatoiy  cere- 
mony to  a  profession  of  the  faith 
of  Christ  Chap.  ii.  38,  41,  iii.  19, 
xvi.  33.  The  rite  Avas  adminis- 
tered in  this  case,  as  is  probable,  by 
Ananias,  a  private  Christian,  —  a 
significant  fact  for  those  to  consider, 
who  insist  upon  an  apostolical  suc- 
cession, and  assert  the  maxim,  "  No 
bishop,  no  church  ; "  or  for  those  who 
deem  no  baptism  as  valid  unless  ad- 
ministered, not  by  lay,  but  by  clerical, 
hands.  —  Received  meat,  i.  e.  any  kind 
of  food.  He  had  fasted  three  days, 
ver.  9,  and  the  scenes  through  which 
he  had  passed  had  exhausted  his 
strength,  so  that  the  expression,  "  He 
took  food,  and  was  revived,"  is  not 
thrown  in  without  meaning.  —  Ce?-- 
tain  days  loith  tlw  disciples.  Rather, 
some  days,  &c.  He  who  had  come 
on  a  mission  of  destruction  became 
a  confidant  and  helper  to  the  very 
cause  he  intended  to  overthrow. 
His  intercourse  with  the  disciples 
was  seemingly  necessary,  in  order  to 
instruct  him  in  the  truths  of  Chris- 
tianity, and  prepare  him  for  his 
ministry. 

The  conversion  of  St.  Paul  has 
ever  been  regarded,  as  a  powerful 
argument  in  support  of  tlie  Christian 
rehgion,  as  a  divine  revelation.  So 
impressed  was  Lyttleton  with  the 
force  of  this  argument,  that  he  wrote 
an  epistolical  essay,  in  which  he  ad- 
vocated that  "The  conversion  and 
apostleship  of  St.  Paul  alone,  duly 
considered,  was  of  itself  a  demon- 
sti-ation  sufficient  to  prove  the  truth  " 
of  the  above  proposition.  In  that 
work  he  abundantly  shows,  that  Paul 
"  could  have  been  neitlier  an  impos- 


tor, who  said  what  he  knew  to  be 
false  with  an  intent  to  deceive;  or 
an  enthusiast,  who,  by  the  force  of  an 
overheated  imagination,  imposed  on 
himself,  or  was  deceived  by  the 
fraud  of  others :  but  that  what  he 
declared  to  have  been  the  cause 
of  his  conversion,  and  what  hap- 
pened in  consequence  of  it,  did  all 
really  occur,  and  that  therefore  the 
gospel  was  a  revelation  from  Heav- 
en." This  selection  of  a  single 
point  in  the  great  argument  possesses 
some  advantages,  by  concentrating 
attention  in  a  single  direction,  and 
excluding  all  secondary  considera- 
tions. Milman  remarks,  that  "  No 
event  in  Christian  history,  from  its 
improbability,  as  well  as  its  influ- 
ence on  the  progress  of  the  religion, 
would  so  demand,  if  the  expression 
may  be  used,  the  divine  intervention, 
as  the  conversion  of  St.  Paul.  Paul 
was  essentially  necessary  to  the  de- 
velopment of  the  Christian  scheme. 
To  doubt,  in  whatever  manner  it 
took  place,  his  divine  mission,  would 
be  to  discard  all  providential  inter- 
position in  the  design  and  propaga-  ■ 
tion  of  Christianity."  \ 

20,  21.  Straightway.  The  ardor 
of  Paul's  temperament  did  not  allow 
him  to  delay  the  gi-eat  work,  to  which 
he  had  been  so  wonderfully  sum- 
moned. —  Christ  —  that  he  is  the  Son 
of  God.  Griesbach  and  many  others 
approve  the  reading,  "Jesus — the 
Son  of  God."  For  no  one  doubted 
that  Christ,  or  the  Messiah,  would  be 
the  Son  of  God.  But  the  critical  point 
was,  to  show  that  Jesus  was  identical 
Avith  the  Son  of  God,  the  Messiali. 
Chap.  ii.  36,  viii.  37.  The  syna- 
gogues afforded  a  fine  field  for  intro- 
ducing the  docti-ines  of  Christianity 


IX.1 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


143 


22  he  might  bringr  them  bound  unto  the  chief-priests  1     But  Saul 
increased  the  more  in  strength,  and  confounded  the  Jews  which 

23  dwelt  at  Damascus,  proving  that  this  is  very  Christ. And 

after  that  many  days  were  fulfilled,  the  Jews  took  counsel  to  kill 

24  him.      But  their  laying  await  was  known  of  Saul.     And  they 

25  watched  the  gates  day  and  night  to  kill  him.     Then  the  disciples 
took  him  by  night,  and  let  him  down  by  the  wall  in  a  basket. 


directly  to  numerous  bodies  of  Jew- 
ish worshippers.  —  JVere  amazed. 
Their  astonishment  was  perfectly 
natural,  from  the  circumstances  of 
the  case,  and  showed  that  the  change 
which  had  taken  place  was  capable 
of  being  explained  on  no  common 
grounds.  —  Called  on  this  name.  See 
note  on  ver.  14. 

22.  Saul  increased,  ^c.  His  con- 
version was  sudden,  and  there  Avas 
consequently  great  room  for  the  im- 
provement, both  of  his  intellectual 
conceptions  and  his  moral  convic- 
tions of  the  truth.  —  Confounded. 
Or  perplexed,  or  confuted,  the  Jewish 
disputants.  —  Is  venj  Christ.  More 
correctly  translated,  "  is  the  Christ," 
since  the  word  rendered  veri/  is  the 
definite  article  in  the  original. 

Between  the  junction  of  these  two 
verses,  22  and  23,  is  supposed  to  be 
a  chasm  of  three  years.  Gal.  i.  18,  in 
which  Saul  withdrew  from  his  former 
associates  and  resorts,  and  retired 
into  Arabia ;  where  he  received  di- 
vine revelations,  and,  in  the  exer- 
cises of  prayer  and  meditation,  and 
the  duties  of  benevolence  to  the  many 
Jews  dwelling  there,  nursed  the 
spirit  of  the  gospel  in  his  heart  to 
strength  and  maturity,  and  came 
forth  fully  prepared  to  discharge  his 
sublime  mission  of  benevolence. 
How  he  passed  his  time  he  does 
not  infomi  us;  hut  we  can  easily 
see  how  beautiful  was  this  retire- 
ment and  repose  to  so  fiery  a  nature 
as  that  of  Paul ;  and  how  truly  such 
a  repose  fitted  him  to  preach  Chris- 
tianity, not  only  with  intelligence, 


but  deep  and  matured  fervor.  Some, 
however,  conjecture  that  the  breach 
in  the  narr^,tive  occurs  between  the 
first  and  last  clause  of  ver.  19.  The 
Arabian  frontier  approached  near 
Damascus,  and  Paul  may  have  re- 
tired but  a  short  distance  from  the 
city,  in  order  to  escape  the  vigilance 
of  his  enemies.  The  omission  of 
this  journey  by  Luke  shows  that 
there  was  no  concert  between  the 
writers,  and,  instead  of  weakening, 
strengthens,  the  probability  of  truth 
and  genuineness. 

23.  Jlfter  that  many  days.  This 
is  understood  to  signify  the  seclusion 
of  three  years  in  Arabia.  Gal.  i.  18. 
In  1  Kings  ii.  38,  39,  we  have  the 
precise  expression  of  many  days 
equivalent  to  three  years.  —  The  Jews 
took  counsel  to  kill  him.  By  which 
is  meant,  that  they  plotted  his  death, 
as  in  chap,  xxiii.  12,  xxv.  3.  The 
hostility  of  the  Jews  evidently  arose 
from  his  zeal  and  ability  as  a  Chris- 
tian apostle,  and  their  anger  at  his 
conversion.  Force  is  the  only  argu- 
ment which  bigotry  and  malice  un- 
derstand how  to  use  against  the 
friends  of  truth. 

24,  25.  Their  laying  await  was 
known  of  Saul.  Or,  by  Saul,  through 
his  own  vigilance  and  quick  appre- 
hension, or  the  information  of  some 
kind  friend  tliat  his  life  was  endan- 
gered. —  Watched  the  gates  day  and 
night.  Aretas,  king  of  Arabia  Pe- 
trea,  whose  daughter  married  Herod 
Antipas,  had  possession  of  Damas- 
cus at  this  time,  and  his  administra- 
tion was  favorable  to  the  Jews,  and 


144 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


And  when  Saul  was  come  to  Jerusalem,  he  assayed  to  join  26 

himself  to  the  disciples :    but  they  were  all  afraid  of  him,  and 


hostile  to  whoever  was  obnoxious  to 
them.  He  made  war  against  Herod, 
because  he  divorced  his  daughter  to 
marry  Herodias,  the  mother  of  Sa- 
lome. Mark  vi.  17 ;  2  Cor.  xi.  32. 
The  text  would  indicate  that  a  pub- 
lic guard  was  kept,  in  order  to  seize 
Paul  if  he  should  attempt  to  escape 
by  the  gates,  which  were,  of  course, 
the  only  thoroughfares  of  the  city.  — 
JLet  him  down  by  the  tvall  in  a  basket. 
Ancient  cities  were  walled,  to  pro- 
tect them  against  enemies.  Proba- 
bly some  friend  resided  in  the  house 
adjoining  the  wall  of  Damascus.  It 
appears  that  Paul  was  let  doAvn 
through  a  window  in  a  basket  by 
the  side  of  the  wall,  and  thus  avoid- 
ed passing  out  at  the  gates,  where 
he  would  inevitably  have  encoun- 
tered his  enemies.  Josh.  ii.  15.  There 
was  nothing  in  this  flight  inconsist- 
ent Avith  Christian  courage  and  loyal- 
ty to  duty.  For  the  Master  himself 
had  directed  his  apostles  not  to 
throw  away  their  lives  recklessly, 
hut  when  persecuted  in  one  city, 
to  flee  into  another.  Mat.  x.  23. 
"  The  method  of  drawing  up  or  let- 
ting down  persons  in  baskets  is  still 
very  much  resorted  to  in  the  East, 
when  danger  is  apprehended  from 
the  ordinary  mode  of  ingress  or 
egress.  The  Christians  at  Damas- 
cus fail  not  to  point  out  the  precise 
part  of  the  wall  where  the  apostle 
was  let  down.  It  occurs  at  an  old 
gate  in  the  wall,  which  has  long 
been  walled  up,  on  account  of  its 
being  rendered  of  little  use  by  the 
vicinity  of  the  present  eastern  gate." 
There  is  probably,  however,  more  of 
sentiment  than  of  fact  in  these  tra- 
ditional localities. 

26.  When  Saul  was  come  to  Jeru- 
salem. This  is  supposed  to  have 
been  after  his  three  years'  residence 
in  Arabia.     Gal.  i.  17,  18.    He  had 


not,  until  now,  visited  Jerusalem 
since  he  went  forth  as  a  sanguinary 
persecutor,  breathing  threatenings 
and  slaughter.  How  great  was  the 
change  to  himself,  to  the  church,  and 
to  the  interests  of  mankind  !  "  Tru- 
ly, this  is  the  Lord's  doing :  it  is  mar- 
vellous in  our  eyes."  —  Assayed.  Or, 
attempted,  endeavored. — But  they 
ivere  all  ajfraid  of  him,  Sfc.  It  seems 
unaccountable,  at  flrst,  that  there 
should  have  been  this  fear  and  sus- 
picion, when  Paul  had  been  so  long 
a  Christian  believer,  after  being  so 
prominent  a  persecutor.  But  Light- 
foot  has  suggested  some  considera- 
tions which  help  to  solve  the  diffi- 
culty ;  as  that  the  distance  between 
Jerusalem  and  Damascus  was  great ; 
that  the  persecution  still  continued 
at  Jerusalem  which  had  commenced 
at  the  stoning  of  Stephen,  and  the 
disciples  of  Damascus  Avould  be  de- 
terred from  going  thither;  the  just 
fears  which  would  possess  the  disci- 
ples at  Jerusalem  in  a  time  of  per- 
secution ;  and  the  quarrels  subsisting 
between  Herod  and  Aretas,  which 
would  cutoff'intercourse  between  the 
two  cities.  Tlie  retired  life  of  Paul, 
also,  in  Arabia,  naturally  caused  a 
recollection  of  him  to  drop  out  of  the 
minds  of  the  disciples  at  Jerusalem  ; 
and  when  his  name  was  again  men- 
tioned, the  old  idea  of  him,  as  their 
former  gi*eatest  enemy,  instantly  re- 
turned, and  overpowered,  in  their 
minds,  any  rumor  which  might  have 
come  to  their  ears  of  his  conversion. 
This  history,  like  that  of  tlie  Gospels, 
is  remarkable  as  simply  narrating 
facts,  without  drawing  inferences  or 
explaining  difficulties.  The  suspicion 
of  the  disciples  was  entirely  natural, 
and  proves  that  there  was  no  collu- 
sion between  them  and  the  new  con- 
vert ;  but,  on  tlie  contrary,  a  rigid 
scrutiny  into  the  reality  of  his  change, 


IX.] 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


145 


27  believed  not  that  he  was  a  disciple.  But  Barnabas  took  him, 
and  brought  Am  to  the  apostles,  and  declared  unto  them  how  he 
had  seen  the  Lord  jn  the  way,  and  that  he  had  spoken  to  him, 
and  how  he  had  preached  boldly  at  Damascus  in  the  name  of 

28  Jesus.      And  he  was  with  them  coming  in  and  going  out   at 

29  Jerusalem.  And  he  spake  boldly  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus, 
and  disputed  against  the  Grecians :  but  they  went  about  to  slay 

30  him.  Which  when  the  brethren  knew,  they  brought  him  down 
to  Cesarea,  and  sent  him  forth  to  Tarsus. 


and  the  means  by  which  it  was  ef- 
fected. 

27.  But  Barnabas  took  him.  Not- 
■vvithstanding  the  general  distrust, 
there  was  one  individual  who,  either 
on  account  of  former  acquaintance, 
or  other  unknown  reason,  gave  heed 
to  his  story,  and  yielded  him  his 
countenance  and  aid.  Chap.  iv.  36, 
37,  xi.  22-24.— Brought  hwi  to  the 
apostles.  Or,  introduced  him  to  them. 
SauI  saw,  at  this  time,  only  two  of 
them,  Peter  and  James,  Gal.  i.  18,  19, 
either  because  the  others  were  absent 
from  the  city,  or  from  the  private 
manner  in  which  tliey  were  com- 
pelled to  live  on  account  of  the 
persecution,  and  their  want  of  con- 
fidence in  the  reality  of  his  change. 
—  Declared  unto  them,  i.  e.  Barnabas 
gave  a  narrative  of  his  miraculous 
conversion,  and  subsequent  zeal  as  a 
preaclier  of  Christianity. 

28,  21).  fVas  with  them,  coming  in 
and  going  out.  By  which  is  meant, 
that  he  was  on  terms  of  confidence 
and  daily  intercourse.  —  Spake  bold- 
ly. By  which  is  expressed,  not  only 
the  courage,  but  the  freedom  and 
openness,  with  Avhich  he  preached 
the  gospel.  For  instances  of  the 
same  word,  see  Acts  ii.  29,  iv.  13, 29, 
and  other  places.  —  In  the  name  of 
the  Lord  Jesus.  —  Tiiat  name  which 
had  been  c  ivered  with  isfnominy 
and  reproach,  Saul  noAv  hesitates  not 
to  take  up  as  the  glorious  watcli- 
word  of  his  preaching,  the  command- 

^;^g  authority  of  his  duty  and  labors. 

VOL.    III.  13 


—  The  Grecians.  The  foreign  or 
Hellenist  Jews;  by  which  may  be 
understood  both  Jews  who  resided 
in  other  countries,  and  had  come  to 
Jerusalem  to  live,  and  who  used  the 
Greek  language  and  Septuagint  ver- 
sion of  the  Scriptures  ;  and  Gentiles, 
who  had  become  proselytes  to  Juda- 
ism, and  removed  to  the  holy  city. 
See  note  on  chap.  vi.  1.  —  Went 
about,  ^c.  i.  e.  undertook,  plotted. 
The  very  virulence  of  his  enemies 
showed  how  powerful  was  the  preach- 
ing of  the  apostle,  and  how  incapa- 
ble they  were  of  meeting  him  on  his 
own  ground  of  argument 

30.  Brought  him  down  to  Cesarea. 
The  disciples,  becoming  acquainted 
with  the  murderous  designs  of  his 
enemies,  follow  the  commands  of 
Christ,  Mat.  x.  23,  and  send  hun 
a^vay  from  danger  and  death.  This 
was  probably  Cesarea  Philippi,  Mat. 
xvi.  13,  and  not  Cesarea  of  Pales- 
tine, mentioned  in  chap.  viii.  40.  — 
Sent  him  forth  to  Tarsus.  His  native 
city.  See  note  on  ver.  11.  The 
course  of  his  journey  and  the  coun- 
tries he  visited,  are  mentioned  in 
Gal.  i.  21,  by  which  it  has  been  in- 
ferred that  he  travelled  by  land ;  in 
which  case  Cesarea  Philippi  would 
lie  more  directly  in  his  way  than  the 
seaport  Cesarea.  This  is  the  opin- 
ion of  Witsius,  Doddridge,  Kenrick, 
and  Olshausen ;  tliough  many  other 
critics  contend  that  it  was  Cesarea 
on  the  sea-coast 


m 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


Then  had  the  churches  rest  throughout  all  Judea,  and  Galilee,  31 
and  Samaria,  and  were  edified:   and  walking  in  the  fear  of  the 
Lord,  and  in  the  comfort  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  were  multiplied. 


31.  TJien  had  the  churches  rest,  8fc. 
The  persecution  which  had  com- 
menced with  the  martyrdom  of  Ste- 
phen, chap.  xi.  19,  and  which  had 
been  promoted  by  the  zeal  and  ener- 
g-y  of  Saul,  had  ceased.  This  has 
been  attributed  by  some  to  the  con- 
version of  the  chief  persecutor  of 
Christianity;  but  that  event  was 
thi-ee  years  before,  and  yet  the  per- 
secution continued.  A  much  more 
probable  cause  was  the  decree  issued 
by  Caius  Caligula,  the  Roman  em- 
peror, A.  D.  39,  to  Petronius,  govern- 
or of  Syria,  commanding  that  his 
statue  should  be  erected  in  the  holy 
temple  at  Jerusalem,  and  that  divine 
worship  should  be  paid  to  it  as  a 
god.  Josephus  has  given  the  fol- 
lowing history  of  this  transaction ; 
and,  as  it  occurred  about  the  time 
"  the  churches  had  rest,"  it  has  been 
very  rationally  assigned  as  its  cause  ; 
the  Jews  being  so  much  occupied 
with  the  horrible  desecration  Avhich 
threatened  their  own  temple  and 
worship,  that  they  forebore  to  perse- 
cute the  disciples  of  Jesus.  He  says 
"  that  Caligula  ordered  Petronius  to 
go  with  an  army  to  Jerusalem,  to  set 
up  his  statues  in  the  temple  there ; 
enjoining  him,  if  the  Jews  opposed 
it,  to  put  to  death  all  that  made  any 
.-esistance,  and  to  make  all  the  rest 
if  the  nation  slaves.  Petronius 
therefore  marched  from  Antioch 
into  Judea  with  three  legions,  and  a 
large  body  of  auxiliaries,  raised  in 
Syria.  All  were  hereupon  filled 
with  consternation,  the  army  being 
come  as  far  as  Ptolemais.  The 
JeAvs,  then  gathering  together,  went 
to  the  plain  near  Ptolemais,  and  en- 
treated Petronius  in  the  first  place 
for  their  laws,  and  in  the  next  place 
for  themselves.  Petronius  was  moved 
by  their  entreaties,  and  leaving  his 


army  and  the  statues  at  Ptolemais, 
went  into  Galilee ;  and  at  Tiberias 
calls  together  the  chief  men  of  the 
Jewish  people,  and  exhorts  them 
to  submit  to  the  emperor's  orders. 
When  they  could  not  engage  so  to 
do,  he  asked  them,  '  Will  ye,  then, 
fight  against  Cesar?'  The  Jews 
answered  him  that  they  or!ered  up 
sacrifices  twice  every  day  for  Cesar 
and  the  Roman  people ;  but  tliat,  if 
he  would  set  up  the  images,  he  ought 
first  of  all  to  sacrifice  the  whole 
Jewish  nation,  and  that  they  were 
ready  to  submit  themselves,  their 
wives,  and  children,  to  the  slaugh- 
ter." Philo  also  gives  essentially 
the  same  narrative,  with,  however, 
some  discrepancies.  He  says  that 
multitudes  of  the  Jews,  leaving  their 
homes,  came  to  Petronius,  in  Phoe- 
nicia, with  weeping  and  lamentation, 
covered  with  dust,  with  their  hands 
behind  them,  as  men  condemned  to 
die,  to  beseech  him  to  avert  the 
threatened  sacrilege.  Their  lan- 
guage was,  "  We  come  to  you,  sir, 
as  you  see,  unarmed.  We  have 
brought  with  us  our  wives  and  chil- 
dren, and  relations,  and  throw  our- 
selves down  before  you,  as  at  the 
feet  of  Caius,  having  left  none  at 
home,  that  you  may  save  all,  or 
destroy  all."  Occupied  with  this  ap- 
palling danger,  the  rage  of  persecu- 
tion naturally  subsided.  —  Edified, 
i.  e.  were  built  up —  a  metaphor  taken 
from  architecture,  and  frequently 
employed  in  the  New  Testament  to 
describe  the  Christian  improvement 
of  the  disciples.  Rom.  xiv.  19 ;  1 
Cor.  iii.  9, 10.  —  Walking  in  the  fear 
of  the  Lord,  i.  e.  living  in  the  exer- 
cise of  true  piety  to  God.  A  devout 
awe,  a  profound  reverence,  is  one  of 
the  truest  elements  of  a  religious 
chai-acter.  —  Comfort    of  the    Holy 


IX] 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


147 


32  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  Peter  passed  throughout  all  quarters^ 

33  he  came  down  also  to  the  saints  which  dwelt  at  Lydda.  And 
there  he  found  a  certain  man  named  Eneas,  which  had  kept  his 

31.  bed  eight  years,  and  was  sick  of  the  palsy.  And  Peter  said  unto 
him,  Eneas,  Jesus  Christ  maketh  thee  whole :    arise,  and  make 

35  thy  bed.  And  he  arose  immediately.  And  all  that  dwelt  in 
Lydda  and  Saron  saw  him,  and  turned  to  the  Lord. 


Ghost  They  enjoyed  an  internal 
conviction  that  they  were  the  chil- 
dren of  God,  by  the  witness  of  the 
Spirit  in  their  own  hearts.  The 
comfort  and  enjoyment  Avhich  they 
thus  received  is  appropriately  intro- 
duced as  one  of  the  circumstances 
showing  their  religious  prosperity. 
Besides  the  private  satisfaction,  they 
may  have  also  felt,  as  Schleusner 
intimates,  joy  in  the  blessed  progress 
of  Christianity  in  the  world. 

32.  Throughout  all  quarters.  Or, 
among  all  the  regions  where  churches 
were  planted.  The  history  of  Peter 
is  here  resumed  from  chap.  viii.  25. 
—  Saints.  See  note  on  ver.  33. — 
Lydda.  This  town  is  situated  about 
12  miles  from  Joppa,  and  25  from 
Jerusalem.  Its  ancient  name  was 
Lod.  I  Chron.  viii.  12 ;  Ezra  ii.  33 ; 
Neh.  xi.  35.  Under  the  Roman  do- 
minion, it  took  the  name  of  JDiospo- 
lis,  or  the  city  of  Jupiter ;  but  it  is 
called  at  present  Lud.  It  was  cele- 
brated as  a  seat  of  Jewish  learning 
under  the  Rabbins.  Its  fortunes, 
like  those  of  all  the  Oriental  cities, 
have  been  various,  and  its  ruins  are 
still  noble,  especially  those  of  the 
church  of  St.  George,  reported,  though 
fabulously,  according  to  Robinson, 
to  have  been  built  by  a  king  of 
England.  It  is  now  "  a  considerable 
village  of  small  houses." 

33.  Eneas.  From  the  name,  it 
has  been  inferred  that  he  was  a 
Hellenist,  though  it  was  customary 
for  the  same  individual  to  have  two 
names,  one  in  Hebrew  or  Syriac,  and 
another  in  Greek.  This  is  the  same 
name   as    that  of  the  distinijuished 


Trojan  hero,  whose  calamities  and 
adventures  are  sung  by  Virgil  in  his 
poem  entitled  the  ^Eneid.  —  Kept  hia 
bed  eight  years.  Not,  perhaps,  literal- 
ly confined,  but,  as  Bloomfield  com- 
ments, "  bedridden."  —  Sick  of  the 
palsy.  Of  which  there  were  several 
kinds.  See  note  on  Mat.  iv.  24.  It 
disabled  the  nerves  of  motion. 

34.  Jesus  Christ  maketh  thee  whole. 
As  much  as  to  say,  that  the  miracle 
was  performed  in  his  name  and  au- 
thority, and  for  the  promotion  of  his 
religion.  It  is  equivalent  to  the  ex- 
pression in  chap.  iii.  6.  The  object 
was  to  identify  the  miraculous  agen- 
cy witli  Christianity,  and  employ  it 
as  an  evidence  of  its  divine  au- 
thority. — Make  thy  bed.  The  object 
of  that  command  was  to  give  evi- 
dence of  the  reality  of  the  cure.  He 
was  directed  to  make  and  spread  his 
bed,  in  which  action  he  would  show 
that  he  had  the  natural  possession 
of  his  powers  of  body.  By  some, 
the  command  is  understood  as  signi- 
fying that  he  should  spread  couches 
or  carpets  for  the  reception  of  his 
guests,  agreeably  to  the  Orientil 
method  of  festive  entertainments  and 
hospitality. 

35.  Lydda.  See  note  on  ver.  32. 
—  Sai-on.  The  HebreAv  name  of 
which  is  Sharon.  1  Chron.  xxvii.  29. 
It  was  an  extensive  and  fruitful 
plain,  extending  from  Mount  Carmel 
to  the  vicinity  of  Joppa.  Several 
towns  and  villages  were  situated  in 
this  plain,  and  it  was  proverbial  for 
the  fragrance  of  its  flowers.  Cant, 
ii.  1. —  Turned  to  the  Lord,  i.  e.  be- 
came the  disciples  of  Christ      A 


148 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


Now  there  was  at  Joppa  a  certain  disciple  named  Tabitha,  36 
which  by  interpretation  is  called  Dorcas;   this  woman  was  full 
of  good  works  and  alms-deeds  which  she  did.     And  it  came  to  37 
pass  in  those  days,  that  she  was  sick,  and  died  :    whom  when 
they  had  washed,  they  laid  her  in  an  upper  chamber.     And  for-  38 
asmuch  as  Lydda  was  nigh  to  Joppa,  and  the  disciples  had  heard 
that  Peter  was  there,  they  sent  unto  him  two  men,  desiring  him 
that  he  would  not  delay  to  come  to  them.     Then  Peter  arose,  39 
and  went  with  them.    When  he  was  come,  they  brought  him  into 


preferable  rendering  of  the  verse  has 
been  given  by  Kenrick  and  others  : 
"  And  all  that  dwelt  at  Lydda  and 
Saron  that  had  turned  to  the  Lord  saw 
him  "  —  a  fact  stated  to  indicate  the 
general  acquaintance  with  the  cure, 
which  is  much  more  probable  tlian 
that  the  effect  of  tlie  miracle  Avas  to 
make  converts  of  all  these  people. 

36.  Joppa.  This  was  a  noted  city 
of  Judea,  about  40  miles  north-west 
from  Jerusalem,  situated  on  the  Med- 
iterranean Sea.  It  might  be  termed 
the  port  of  the  holy  city.  It  is  re- 
peatedly spoken  of  in  the  Old  Tes- 
tament. Josh.  xix.  46 ;  2  Chron.  ii.  J  6 ; 
Ezra  iii.  7  ;  Jonah  i.  3.  Its  modern 
name  is  Yafa.  It  is  still  a  consid- 
erable town,  consisting  of  about 
7000  souls,  according  to  Robin- 
son, of  Avhom  nearly  one  half  are 
Christians,  including  Greeks,  Greek 
Catholics,  Arminians,  and  a  few  Lat- 
ins. It  has  been  distinguished  in 
history  as  the  theatre  of  numerous 
sieges  and  battles,  especially  dur- 
ing those  tremendous  wars,  tlie  cru- 
sades. Here,  also,  Napoleon  put  to 
death  2000  of  his  prisoners  in  cold 
blood.  —  Tabitha  —  Dorcas.  The 
fonuer  is  Hebrew,  the  latter  Greek, 
signifying  gazelle,  or  antelope,  a 
graceful  animal,  to  which  the  Orien- 
tal poets  frequently  liken  beautiful 
women.  —  Full  of  good  ivorks  and 
alms-deeds.  In  these  terms  her  char- 
acter for  benevolence  to  the  poor 
and  others  is  described,  and  the  in- 
terest of  her  friends  and  neighbors 
in  her  thus  accounted  for. 


37.  Whom,  when  they  had  washed, 
h  was  customary  in  ancient  times  to 
wash  the  body  before  burial,  or  other 
method  of  disposing  of  it.  "  Among 
the  Greeks,"  says  Burder,  "  this  cus- 
tom was  very  particularly  observed. 
There  were  vessels  in  some  of  their 
ancient  temples  for  this  purpose  : 
these  were  called,  in  Latin,  labra. 
The  Greeks  used  warm  water  on  this 
occasion ;  the  modern  Jews  warm 
water  with  roses  and  camomile.  It 
was  designed  to  prevent  precipitate 
intennent."  —  In  an  upper  chamber. 
Which  would  be  in  the  more  retired 
part  of  tlie  house. 

38.  Lydda  was  nigh,  to  Joppa.  It 
was  situated  about  12  miles  east 
from  Joppa.  See  ver.  32.  —  Would 
not  delay  to  come  to  them.  From 
their  anxiety  tliat  there  should  be 
no  delay,  and  from  the  short  distance 
between  the  t.Avo  places  being  men- 
tioned, it  would  seem  that  their  ob- 
ject in  obtaining  Peter's  presence 
was  not,  as  has  been  sometimes  al- 
leged, consolation  in  their  grief,  but 
a  hope  of  miraculous  interposition 
and  restoration  to  life. 

39.  Brought  him  into  the  upper 
chamber.  This  also  would  intimate 
the  wish  or  expectation  of  a  super- 
natural resuscitation  of  their  friend. 
—  JJll  the  widoivs  stood  by  him  weep- 
ing, 8f'c.  This  is  a  scene  of  wonder- 
ful naturalness  and  pathos.  Our 
blessings  brighten  as  they  depart 
Our  friends  are  dearer  after  they 
are  dead.  The  benevolence  of  tlie 
good  woman  had  touched  and  won 


IX.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


149 


the  upper  chamber :  and  all  the  widows  stood  by  him  weeping, 
and  showing  the  coats  and  garments  which  Dorcas  made,  while 

40  she  was  with  them.  But  Peter  put  them  all  forth,  and  kneeled 
down,  and  prayed;  and  turning  him  to  the  body,  said,  Tabitha, 
arise.     And  she  opened  her  eyes  :    and  when  she  saw  Peter,  she 

41  sat  up.  And  he  gave  her  his  hand,  and  lift  her  up ;  and  when 
he   had  called  the  saints  and   widows,  he  presented  her  alive. 

42  And  it  was  known  throughout  all  Joppa :    and  many  believed  in 

43  the  Lord.  And  it  came  to  pass,  that  he  tarried  many  days  in 
Joppa  with  one  Simon  a  tanner. 


all  their  hearts.  Her  friends  and 
neighbors,  her  objects  of  charity, 
the  widoAvs,  take  a  melancholy  satis- 
faction in  showing  what  she  had  done 
wJiile  living ;  and  have  no  other  or 
more  expressive  way  of  manifesting 
tlieir  grief  to  Peter  than  the  homely 
one  of  exhibiting  the  articles  of 
clothing  which  she  had  made,  prob- 
ably for  the  needy  and  suffering. 
The  narrative,  though  brief,  thus  lets 
us,  in  the  most  life-like  way,  into  the 
secret  of  her  character,  even  more 
than  if  pages  of  common  description 
had  beon  employed.  She  was  a 
kind  benefactress,  clothing  the  poor, 
and,  in  humble  labors  for  the  relief 
of  others,  exhibiting  the  noblest  prin- 
ciples of  religion.  Who  shall  say 
that,  while  a  Paul  was  preaching  the 
gospel  to  all  countries  and  all  ages, 
and  a  Peter  was  planting  churches 
of  the  true  faith,  and  working  deeds 
of  more  than  mortal  power,  this 
good  woman  was  not  sending  up  to 
Heaven,  from  a  lowlier  altar,  an 
equally  acceptable  incense  of  devo- 
tion, while  she  was  engaged  in  mak- 
ing "  coats  and  garments  "  for  the  for- 
gotten poor  of  the  humble  village  of 
Lydda  ?  God  accepts  us  not  for  the 
results  of  our  actions,  —  for  they  are 
often  frustrated,  or  may  be  insignifi- 
cant,—  but  for  the  spirit  in  which 
they  are  performed.  — Coats  and  gar- 
ments., i.  e.  articles  of  upper  and 
under  clothing. 

40.  Pvi  them  all  forth.    2  Kings 
13* 


iv.  33 ;  Mat.  ix.  25.  As  if  to  shun 
publicity,  and  compose  his  mind  in 
more  fervent  and  rapt  devotion. — 
Prayed.  Thus  imitating  the  Master 
himself  in  his  supplication  of  the 
divine  blessing,  when  about  to  do 
his  wonderful  works.  John  xi.  41, 
42.  —  ^rise.    Mark  v.  41,  42. 

41.  Lift.  Lifted.  She  at  first 
merely  sat  up,  but  subsequently  en- 
tirely recovered  her  strength,  so  as 
to  arise  from  the  couch  on  which 
she  had  been  laid  out,  preparatory 
to  burial.  Luke  vii.  15.  —  The  saints 
and  widows,  i.  e.  the  members  of  the 
Christian  fraternity. 

42.  Mamj  believed  in  the  Lord. 
This  was  the  natural  and  intended 
effect  of  the  miracle,  where  allowed 
to  Avork  its  true  end.  It  was  to  gain 
new  adherents  to  the  gospel,  and 
win  the  confidence  of  men  to  its  di- 
vine authority  and  its  cheerful  ser- 
vice.    John  xii.  11. 

43.  Tarried  many  days.    He  con 
tinued  to  labor   in    a    field   whicv 
yielded  so  rich  a  return.  —  fVith,  i.  i 
in  the  house  of.  —  One  Simon  a  tai: 
ner.   Nothing  except  what  is  related 
here,  and  in  chap.  x.  6,  is  knoAvn  of 
this  humble  individual.     For  some 
reason,   perhaps   for  his   piety   and 
kindness,  he  was  honored  with  the 
apostle  as  a  guest,  though  his  occu- 

Jation  in  life  was  regarded  by  the 
ews,  from  its  contact  with  the  skins 
of  dead  animals,  whether  clean  or 
unclean,  as  unholy  and  disreputable 


150 


THE   ACTS 


[Chap. 


CHAPTER   X. 

The  History  of  Cornelius,  and  his  Baptism  and  Profession  of  Christianity. 

J.  HERE   was  a  certain  man   in  Cesarea,  called   Cornelius,  a 


In  the  conversion  of  Saul,  and  the 
repose  and  prosperity  of  the  Chris- 
tian churches,  we  discern  the  finger 
of  God.  And  as  he  has,  in  all  peri- 
ods, from  the  days  of  Peter  and  Saul, 
■watched  over  and  directed  the  Chris- 
tian movement,  as  really  as  he  did 
the  hosts  of  Israel  with  his  cloud  by 
day,  and  his  pillar  of  fire  by  night, 
who  shall  be  so  skeptical  as  to  doubt 
that  he  will  ever,  in  all  the  future, 
as  in  all  the  past,  guard  and  guide 
the  interests  of  his  kingdom  on 
earth?  To  doubt  the  progress  of 
Christianity  is  the  Avorst  kind  of  in- 
fidelity. It  is  to  disbelieve  God  and 
man,  prophecy  and  history,  hope  and 
memory.  We  may  lament  single 
losses,  as  brave  men  are  wept  that 
fall  in  a  successful  battle ;  we  may 
fear  that  partial  evil  will  gain  a  tem- 
porary ascendency  here  or  there; 
that  some  church  or  nation  will  not 
prove  faithful  to  itself;  but  as  to  the 
issue  of  the  grand  whole,  not  a  shade 
of  darkness  or  distrust  ought  for  a 
moment  to  rest  upon  our  minds.  We 
owe  it  to  our  blessed  Master  never 
to  doubt,  that  he  shall  have  "  the 
heathen  for  his  inheritance,  and  the 
uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  his 
possession."  The  advancement  of 
tlie  gospel  is  the  movement  of  Om- 
nipotence ;  its  career,  the  march  of 
God. 

CHAPTER  X. 

A  new  epoch  in  the  development 
of  Christianity  commences  at  this 
point.  We  turn  over  a  new  leaf  of 
the  apostolic  history.  That  great 
mystery  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven, 
or  the  truth  formerly  liidden,  that 
the  Gentiles  were  to  be  admitted, 
upon  equal  terms  Avith  the  Jews,  to 
the  covenant  of  mercy,  now  opened 
upon   the   astonished  minds  of  the 


apostles  and  disciples.  They  had 
preached  and  labored  hitherto  among 
the  Jews  and  the  JeAvish  -  proselytes. 
They  Avere  now  taught  that  God  is 
no  respecter  of  persons,  but  looks 
Avith  a  benevolent  eye  upon  his 
children  of  every  name  and  nation, 
Avhether  JeAvs  or  Gentiles.  The  ri- 
gidity of  the  prejudices  of  the  apos- 
tles could  apparently  be  relaxed  only 
by  a  divine  interposition.  Hence 
the  special  illumination  of  Peter,  and 
the  descent  of  tlie  Holy  Spirit  upon 
the  assembled  friends  of  the  uncir- 
cumcised  Cornelius.  This  Avas  in 
accordance  Avith  the  commands  of 
Christ,  which  Avere  too  liberal  to  be 
at  once  comprehended  by  those 
bound  up  in  die  contracted  notions 
of  the  JeAvs,  Avho  regarded  them- 
selves as  the  peculiar  favorites  of 
Heaven,  and  despised  all  other  na- 
tions as  sinners  and  unclean.  It  Avas 
proper,  indeed,  that  tlie  gospel  should 
be  first  introduced  to  them,  as  they 
had  been  prepared  by  the  Avorsliip 
of  the  only  true  God  for  further  dis- 
closures of  divine  truth.  Mark  xvi. 
15  ;  Luke  xxiv.  49  ;  Acts  i.  8.  But 
they  Avere  but  the  germ  of  that 
mighty  tree  of  life,  Avhose  leaves  Avere 
for  the  healing  of  the  nations.  "Sal- 
vation Avas  of  the  Jcavs,"  and  from 
them  the  leaven  Avas  to  proceed  to 
leaven  the  Avorld.  Though  Christ 
and  his  apostles  encountered  the 
bitterest  opposition  of  their  country- 
men, in  propao-ating  a  spiritual  and 
universal  religion  ;  yet,  if  Ave  consid- 
er tlie  condition  of  the  pagan  na- 
tions, Ave  shall  perceive  that  there 
Avas  no  other  soil  but  that  of  Judea, 
sufficiently  clear  of  the  Aveeds  and 
tares  of  idolatry,  and  its  thousand- 
fold corruptions,  to  receive  and  ger- 
minate   the    seed  of  divine  truth. 


X.] 


OF  THE  AP08TLES. 


151 


2  centurion  of  the  band  called  the  Italian  hand^  a  devout  man^ 
and  one  that  feared  God  with  all  his  house,  which  gave  much 


Besides,  the  universal  dispersion  of 
the  Jews  into  all  countries  had 
spread,  even  wider  than  the  bounda- 
ries of  strict  proselytism,  some  of 
those  pure  and  sublime  elements  of 
tiie  primitive  faith  in  one  God,  which 
were  necessary  preliminaries  to  all 
further  advancement  in  a  holy  faith 
or  a  righteous  practice.  The  Jews 
were,  indeed,  and  ever  have  been, 
unfaithful  to  their  great  calling,  as 
the  moral  enlighteners  of  mankind. 
They  have  clung  to  the  idols  of  sect 
and  of  nation,  and  have  not  been 
willing  to  merge  themselves  in  the 
wider  good  of  the  whole  human  fam- 
ily. They  have  given  "  to  party, 
what  was  meant  for  mankind."  They 
would  not  submit  to  take  that  sec- 
ondary place,  as  a  single  link  in  the 
great  chain  of  the  divine  plan,  which 
had  been  assigned  them  in  the  coun- 
sels of  Heaven.  They  were  free 
agents,  and  they  abused  their  free- 
dom. But  their  unfaithfulness  should 
not  render  us  insensible  to  the  value 
of  those  earlier  revelations  by  Mo- 
sps  and  the  prophets,  without  which 
there  could  have  been  neither  Mes- 
siah nor  apostles.  The  New  Testa- 
ment grew  upon  the  Old,  as  fruit 
upon  its  stem  ;  and  Avithout  tlie  stem, 
though  seemingly  in  itself  barren 
and  unsightly,  there  could  no  fruit 
ripen  to  perfection. 

1.  Cesarea.  See  note  on  chap, 
viii.  40.  —  Cornelius.  This  was  a 
Litin  name,  common  among  the  Ro- 
mans. —  c^  centurion.  A  commander 
of  100  men,  a  division  of  the  Roman 
armies.  Mat.  viii.  5.  —  The  band 
called  the  Italian  hand.  The  last  word 
is  evidently  superfluous  in  our  trans- 
lation. This  was  what  was  techni- 
cally called  a  cohort,  of  which  there 
were  ten  in  every  legion,  varying 
in  number,  under  different  circum- 
stances, from  300  to  1000  or  more. 


Arrian  speaks  of  the  Italian  band  or 
cohort,  and  there  are  many  instances 
in  which  legions  are  designated  by 
that  epithet.  But  a  legion  is  not 
here  spoken  of  at  all.  The  troops 
here  mentioned  are  called  "  Italian," 
in  contradistinction  to  the  provin- 
cial soldiers,  which  composed  most 
of  the  Roman  corps  in  Syria  and 
Palestine.  As  Cesarea  was  the  resi- 
dence of  the  Roman  governor,  chap, 
xii.  19,  it  is  probable  that  these 
troops  constituted  his  body-guard, 
and  garrisoned  the  city,  and  that 
Cornelius,  one  of  their  officers,  was 
a  native  born  Roman  citizen. 

3.  Devout,  &fc.  The  character  of 
Cornelius,  as  here  described,  was  of 
the  most  pure  and  exalted  kind, 
combining  piety  to  God  and  right- 
eousness and  benevolence  to  man. 
There  is  no  evidence  that  he  was  a 
proselyte  in  any  degree  to  the  Jew- 
ish faith  ;  but,  from  his  residence  in 
Judea,  and  the  aspiration  of  his  na- 
ture afler  a  more  satisfactory  reli- 
o-ion  than  idolatry  afforded,  he  had 
imbibed  the  great  sentiments  of  all 
true  service  to  God.  Notwithstand- 
ing the  unfavorable  influences  of  his 
nation  and  profession,  he  became 
eminent  in  virtue,  and  fitted  to  re- 
ceive, as  he  did  with  gladness,  ten- 
derer and  purer  disclosures  of  divine 
mercy.  If  he  had  been  merely  a 
Jewish  proselyte,  his  case  would  not 
have  constituted  that  strong  line  of 
demarkation  Avhich  was  now,  for  the 
first  time,  crossed,  in  the  communi- 
cation of  the  gospel  to  the  Gentiles ; 
for  proselytes  had  before  embraced 
Christianity.  The  conversion  of  the 
centurion  is  elsewhere  represented 
as  a  new  feature  in  tlie  development 
and  diffusion  of  Christianity.  Ver. 
15,  22,  34,  35,  45,  chap.  xi.  1,  18, 
XV.  7.  —  With  all  his  house.  His 
piety  was  not  only  personal,  but  do- 


15S 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


alms  to  the  people,  and  prayed  to   God  alway.     He  saw  in  a  3 
vision  evidently,  about  the  ninth  hour  of  the  day,  an  angel  of 
God  coming  in  to  him,  and  saying  unto  him,  Cornelius.     And  4 
when  he  looked  on  him,  he  was  afraid,  and  said,  What  is  it, 
Lord?    And  he  said  unto  him,  Thy  prayers  and  thine  alms  are 
come  up  for  a  memorial  before  God.     And  now  send  men  to  5 
Joppa,  and   call   for  one  Simon,  whose  surname  is  Peter :    he  6 
lodgeth  with  one  Simon  a  tanner,  whose  house  is  by  the  seaside : 
he  shall  tell  thee  what  thou  oughtest  to  do.    And  when  the  angel  7 
which  spake  unto  Cornelius  was  departed,  he  called  two  of  his 
household  servants,  and  a  devout  soldier  of  them  that  waited  on 


mestic  and  social.  He  showed  liis 
sincerity  and  zeal  by  leading  his 
family  also  in  the  same  path  in  which 
he  walked  himself.  —  Gave  much 
alms  to  the  people,  i.  e.  was  very 
charitable  to  the  Jews.  Ver.  22.  — 
Prayed  to  God  alway,  i.  e.  he  con- 
formed to  fixed  habits  of  devotion, 
similar,  it  is  likely,  to  tliose  of  the 
Jews,  from  whom  he  had  caught  the 
leading  spirit  of  his  character.  There 
was  a  beautiful  propriety  in  such  a 
man,  the  flower  of  the  Gentile  world, 
becoming  tlie  first  fruits  of  Chris- 
tianity.    Mat.  xiii.  12. 

3.  SaiD  in  a  vision  cvidenlly,  i.  e. 
manifestly,  or  while  awake,  as  dis- 
tinguished from  a  vision  in  a  dream, 
while  asleep.  A  vision  is  a  super- 
natural appearance  or  sight  pre- 
sented to  the  mind,  without  the  in- 
tervention of  the  senses.  —  J\*inlh 
hour.  Or,  3  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon, the  hour  of  Jewish  prayer  and 
the  evening  sacrifice.  — *^'ln  angel 
of  God.  In  the  form  of  a  man,  in 
bright  clothing.  Ver.  30.  Here  the 
circumstances  under  which  the  vis- 
ion took  place  are  described. 

4.  What  is  it,  Lord  ?  Or,  sir.  John 
xii.  21.  A  respectful  inquiry  of  the 
occasion  of  the  vision.  —  Thy  prayers 
and  thine  alms  —  a  memorial  before 
God.  In  which  the  acceptableness 
to  the  Divine  Being  of  his  piety  and 
benevolence  is  simply  described  in 


a  metaphor,  taken  from  the  ascension 
to  heaven  of  the  smoke  and  the  burn- 
ing incense  of  the  sacrifices.  Cor- 
nelius was  faitliful  to  the  light  he 
enjoyed ;  his  heart  was  engaged  in 
his  duty ;  and  although  he  was  still 
unenlightened  in  many  respects,  yet 
his  service  Avas  acceptable  to  Him 
who  searches  the  heart. 

"  Unheard  by  all  but  angel  ears, 

'i  lie  ;;oocl  Cornelius  knelt  alone  ; 
Nor  (ir.-njDpd  his  prayers  and  tears 
\Voiikl  help  a  world  undone." 

5,  G.  Joppa.  See  note  on  chap.  ix. 
3G.  —  Simon,  a  tanner,  whose  liouse 
is  hy  the  seaside.  See  note  on  chap, 
ix.  43.  The  occupation  of  a  tanner 
was  in  general  regarded  with  con- 
tempt by  tlie  ancients,  but  by  the 
Jews  was  considered  unclean.  The 
situation  of  his  house,  outside  of  the 
town,  by  the  seaside,  was  probably 
both  for  the  convenience  of  water 
necessary  to  his  trade,  and  in  obedi- 
ence to  public  regulations,  that  this 
business  should  not  be  carried  on 
within  a  city,  nor  at  less  than  fifty 
cubits  from  its  walls,  on  account  of 
the  disagreeable  and  unwholesome 
effluvia  arising  from  the  various 
processes  of  the  art.  —  He  shall  tell 
thee  ivhal  thou  oughtest  to  do.  This 
clause  is  excluded  from  the  text  by 
Griesbach  and  other  critics,  as  desti- 
tute of  valid  authority. 

7,  8.   ^  devout  soldier.    The  ap- 


X.] 


OF  TirE  APOSTLES. 


isa 


8  him  continually ;  and  when  he  had  declared  all  these  things  unto 

9  them,  he  sent  them  to  Joppa. On  the  morrow,  as  they  went 

on  their  journey,  and  drew  nigh  unto  the  city,  Peter  went  up 

10  upon  the  house-top  to  pray,  about  the  sixth  hour :   and  he  be- 
came very  hungry,  and  would  have  eaten :   but  while  they  made 

11  ready,  he  fell  into  a  trance,  and  saw  heaven  opened,  and  a  certain 
vessel  descending  unto  him,  as  it  had  been  a  great  sheet  knit  at 

12  the  four  corners,  and  let  down  to  the  earth:   wherein  were  all 
manner  of  four-footed  beasts  of  the  earth,  and  wild  beasts,  and 


parent  paradox  of  these  terms,  when 
placed  side  by  side,  is  explained  by 
tlie  fact  that,  although  Avar  is  in  it- 
self essentially  evil  and  wrong,  and 
all  who  participate  in  it  must  bear 
a  partnership  in  the  guilt,  yet  in- 
dividuals educated  under  different 
maxims  may  engage  in  it  with  un- 
enlightened consciences,  and  still  re- 
main faithful  to  most  moral  and  reli- 
gious obligations.  The  fruits  of  the 
family  religion  of  Cornelius,  ver.  2, 
appeared  in  those  who  lived  witli 
him,  even  among  his  servants.  — 
Joppa.  Which  was  situated  about 
30  miles  south  of  Cesarea. 

9.  Peter  ivent  up  upon  the  house- 
top to  pray.  As  the  houses  were 
built  Avith  flat  roofs,  which  were 
guarded  by  parapets,  the  place  to 
Avhich  Peter  resorted  was  one  of 
convenient  retirement.  The  apostle 
still  observed  the  Jewish  custom  of 
devotion,  in  which  he  had  been  edu- 
cated.—  Mout  the  sixth  how,  i.  e. 
noon.  As  the  messengers  probably 
started  from  Cesarea  the  evening  be- 
fore, they  Avould  arrive  at  about  that 
hour  from  their  journey  of  30  miles. 

10.  He  became  very  hungry,  Sfc. 
His  condition  gave  "  a  juster  sense 
of  Avhat  Avas  afterwards  to  befall 
him."  —  While  they  made  ready.  It 
was  customary  to  have  but  tAvo 
meals,  one  at  about  10  or  11  o'clock 
in  the  forenoon,  and  the  other  prin- 
cipal one  at  G  or  7  in  the  after- 
noon. This  was  not,  perhaps,  a  reg- 
ular meal.  —  He  fell  into  a  trance. 


Or,  an  ecstasy  fell  upon  him.  By 
Avhich  is  meant  that  he  became  rapt 
in  spiritual  meditation  and  divine 
communion,  until  he  lost  all  cogni- 
zance of  things  external,  when  the 
symbolical  representation  here  de- 
scribed appeared  before  him.  Trance 
and  vision  are  often  used  to  express 
the  same  state.  In  the  Avords  of 
Fanner,  "  A  prophetic  ecstasy,  there- 
fore, denotes  not  an  alienation  of 
mind  or  loss  of  reason,  nor  any 
transport  of  fear,  wonder,  or  other 
passion,  but  that  state  the  mind  is  in 
when  it  receives  extraordinary  di- 
vine communications  by  vision." 

11,  12.  Saw  heaven  opened.  Mat. 
iii.  16 ;  Acts  vii.  56.  This  figurative 
language  is  used  as  if  heaven  Avas  a 
solid  sphere,  capable  of  being  literal- 
ly parted.  —  Jl  certain  vessel.  This 
was  a  general  term  for  any  article 
of  furniture  or  implement  of  use. 
The  particular  form  which  the  vessel 
most  resembled  Avas  that  of  a  sheet 
fastened  at  the  four  corners,  —  sig- 
nificant of  the  entrance  of  Christians 
into  the  church  from  every  quarter,  — 
and  lowered  to  the  eartli.  It  is  not 
said  tliat  he  literally  saw  such  an 
object  descending,  but  that  the  rep- 
resentation which  Avas  seen  by  him 
bore  this  appearance.  —  Jill  manner 
of  four-footed  beasts.  By  which  is 
to  be  understood  that  all  kinds  of 
animals  belonging  to  earth,  air,  and 
water,  clean  and  unclean,  Avere  pre- 
sented together.  No  part  of  the  ani- 
mal kingdom  was  without  its  repre- 


154 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


creeping  things,  and  fowls  of  the  air.  And  there  came  a  voice  13 
to  him,  Rise,  Peter;  kill,  and  eat.  But  Peter  said,  Not  so,  14 
Lord ;  for  I  have  never  eaten  any  thing  that  is  common  or  un- 
clean. And  the  voice  spake  unto  him  again  the  second  time,  15 
What  God  hath  cleansed,  that  call  not  thou  common.  This  was  16 
done  thrice :   and  the  vessel  was  received  up  again  into  heaven. 

Now,  while  Peter  doubted  in  himself  what  this  vision  which  17 

he  had  seen  should  mean,  behold,  the  men  which  were  sent  from 
Cornelius  had  made  inquiry  for  Simon's  house,  and  stood  before 


sentative.  Such  was  the  vision  ad- 
dressed, not  to  the  senses,  but  to  the 
soul.  The  distinction  between  four- 
footed  beasts  and  wild  beasts  is  that 
between  the  artificial  classes  of  do- 
mestic and  wild  animals. 

13,  14.  Rise,  Peter,  kill  and  eat. 
This  command  derived  its  seem- 
ing appropriateness  from  the  circum- 
stance of  his  hunger.  Ver.  10.  — 
JVever  eaten  any  thing  that  is  com- 
mon or  unclean.  This  was  said  witli 
the  feelings  of  a  Jew,  who  had  been 
educated  to  discriminate  between 
clean  and  unclean  animals.  Lev.  xi. ; 
Deut  xiv.  He  still  showed  his  loy- 
alty to  the  commands  of  Moses  in 
this  respect 

15.  What  God  hath  cleansed,  that 
call  not  thou  common.  We  here 
come  to  the  practical  point  of  appli- 
cation. The  vision  was  designed  to 
convey  an  important  lesson  —  tlie 
abrogation  of  the  Mosaic  ritual,  and 
the  introduction  of  the  Gentiles 
into  the  Christian  church.  The  lit- 
eral sense,  indeed,  was  that  the  dis- 
tinction had  ceased  between  clean 
and  unclean  animals  ;  and  that  they 
might  be  eaten  indiscriminately  with- 
ouffear  of  pollution  ;  but  the  spiritual 
import  was,  that  the  Jewish  peculiar- 
ity henceforth  ceased ;  that  the  Gen- 
tiles were  no  more  to  be  regarded  as 
common  or  unclean,  or  to  be  rejected 
from  the  Christian  brotherhood,  as 
unworthy  of  participation  with  Jew- 
ish converts  in  the  blessings  of  the 
gospel.    It  waa  to  teach  a  lolly  les- 


son of  superiority  to  religious  bigot- 
ry and  national  clanship ;  that  God 
viewed  all  mankind  with  equal  re- 
gard ;  that  all  were  his  children,  and 
brethren  one  of  another.  What  les- 
son can  be  more  important  and  prac- 
tical than  this,  in  its  bearing  upon 
political  privileges,  social  classes, 
and  religious  sects  !  We  are  to  call 
no  men,  whatever  be  their  color, 
condition,  avocation,  or  religious  sect, 
common  or  unclean,  since  all  are 
dear  in  the  sight  of  the  infinite  Fa- 
ther, and  should  be  dear  one  to  an- 
other. What  God  hath  cleansed, 
that  call  not  thou,  or  account  not 
thou,  common. 

16.  This  ivas  done  thrice.  To  de- 
note the  certainty  and  importance  of 
the  truth  symbolically  conveyed,  and 
impress  it  more  deeply  upon  the  mind 
of  the  apostle.  Repetition  expresses 
earnestness,  assurance.  Gen.  xli. 
32  ;  Mat.  xxvi.  44 ;  2  Cor.  xii.  8.  — 
The  vessel  was  received  up,  ^c.  No 
particular  moral  is  to  be  extracted 
from  every  item  in  a  parable,  vision, 
or  description  in  the  Bible.  To  at- 
tempt it,  is  to  torture  the  word  of 
God.  Many  lines  are  drawn  by  way 
of  propriety  and  embellislmient,  and 
to  fill  out  tlie  narrative,  as  here ; 
tliough  some  have  endeavored  to 
draw  a  profound  truth  from  tliis 
clause. 

17.  Doubted  in  himself,  S^c.  So 
far  from  imagining  this  scene,  or  in- 
dulging in  a  mere  idle  and  pointless 
reverie,  tlie  apostle's  attention  was 


X.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


155 


18  the  gate,  and  called,  and  asked  whether  Simon,  which  was  sur- 

19  named  Peter,  were  lodged  there.  While  Peter  thought  on  the 
vision,  the  Spirit  said  unto  him.  Behold,  three  men  seek  thee. 

20  Arise  therefore,  and  get  thee  down,  and  go  with  them,  doubting 

21  nothing:   for  I  have  sent  them. Then  Peter  went  down  to 

the  men  which  were  sent  unto  him  from  Cornelius;   and  said. 
Behold,  I  am  he  whom  ye  seek  :   what  is  the  cause  wherefore 

22  ye  are  come  ?  And  they  said,  Cornelius  the  centurion,  a  just 
man,  and  one  that  feareth  God,  and  of  good  report  among  all  the 
nation  of  the  Jews,  was  warned  from  God  by  a  holy  angel  to  send 

23  for  thee  into  his  house,  and  to  hear  words  of  thee.     Then  called 

he  them  in,  and  lodged  tke7n. And  on  the  morrow  Peter 

went  away  with  them,  and  certain  brethren  from  Joppa  accom- 

24  panied  him.  And  the  morrow  after  they  entered  into  Cesarea. 
And  Cornelius  waited  for  them,  and  had  called  together  his  kins- 


powerfully  arrested ;  but  he  could  not 
determine  ';vhat  was  the  intention  of 
the  vision.  At  this  critical  moment, 
however,  the  needed  explanation 
came ;  just  that  event  occurred 
wliich,  in  his  prepared  state  of  mind, 
Ava3  adapted  to  enlighten  Peter's 
understanding  with  nspect  to  a  new 
and  wonderful  development  of  the 
Christian  plan.  —  Simoii's  house,  i.  e. 
Simon,  the  tanner.  Ver.  6.  —  7V?e 
s:ate.  Rather,  the  vestibule  or  door 
of  the  house. 

18-22.  Called,  i.  e.  to  the  porter 
at  the  door.  From  the  custom  of 
tlius  calling  out,  or  speaking  to  the 
per -on  in  attendance,  the  verb  to  call 
upon  has  acquired  a  veiy  common 
and  secondary  sense  of  goins;  to  see, 
waiting  upon,  visiting.  —  7Vie  Spirit 
said  unto  him.  By  which  is  meant 
that  a  special  intimation  is  given 
him  by  that  divine  Spirit  under  which 
he  constantly  acted.  -  Three  men. 
Ver.  7.  —  Doubting  nothing.  Or, 
making  no  scruples,  though  called  to 
associate  with  Gentiles,  with  whom 
the  Jews  esteemed  it  pollution  to 
eat,  and  to  be  united  familiarly. — 
Which  ivere  sent  unto  him  from  Cor- 
nelius.    Cancelled  from  tfie  t.':xt  by 


most  critics,  as  spurious.  —  BeJwld, 
I  am  he,  8^c.  Peter  promptly  yields 
to  the  call  of  duty,  though  the  sum- 
mons Avas  so  contraiy  to  all  his  Jew- 
ish habits  and  prejudices.  —  A  just 
man,  ^c.  The  charact^^r  of  Corne- 
lius, as  given  by  his  own  servant?, 
refl'ct'd  honor  botli  on  him  who 
possessed,  and  them  who  could  ap- 
preciate, such  traits  of  moral  beauty 
and  excellence.  —  To  hear  words  of 
thee.  The  indefiniteness  of  this  ex- 
pression well  corresponds  to  the  in- 
distinctness of  their  own  conceptions 
of  the  nature  of  Peter's  message. 

23,  24.  Lodged  them.  The  mes- 
sengers had  just  arrived  from  a  con- 
siderable journey,  and  the  day  was 
too  far  advanced  to  commence  their 
return.  Ver.  9.  —  Certain  brethren 
from  Joppa.  The  precise  number, 
as  mentioned  in  chap.  xi.  12,  was 
six.  This  was  a  new  era  in  the 
Christian  history,  and  it  was  impor- 
tant there  should  be  some  brethren 
present  as  witnesses  of  what  was 
then  done.  As  suggested  by  Priest- 
Icy,  since  Peter  first  preached  the 
gospel  to  tlie  Jews,  chap.  ii.  14,  and 
was  here  authorized  fost  to  intro- 
duce it  to  the  Gentiles,  there  was 


156 

men  and  near  friends. 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


-  And  as  Peter  was  coming  in,  Corne-  25 
lius  met  him,  and  fell  down  at  his  feet,  and  worshipped  him.  But  26 
Peter  took  him  up,  saying,  Stand  up :  I  myself  also  am  a  man. 
And  as  he  talked  with  him,  he  went  in,  and  found  many  that  27 
were  come  together.  And  he  said  unto  them,  Ye  know  how  28 
that  it  is  an  unlawful  thing  for  a  man  that  is  a  Jew  to  keep  com- 
pany, or  come  unto  one  of  another  nation  ;  but  God  hath  showed 


thus  fulfilled  whatever  of  preemi- 
nence was  assigned  him  by  the 
promise  of  our  Lord,  Mat  xvi.  18, 
tliough  the  main  sense  of  tlie  promise 
was  true  of  all  the  apostles.  Mat. 
xviii.  18 ;  John  xx.  23.  —  The.  moirow 
after.  Which  was  the  fourth  day 
from  the  vision  of  Cornelius.  Ver. 
3,  comp.  ver.  8,  9,  23.  —  His  kinsmen 
and  near  friends.  Cornelius  was  not 
content  witli  limiting  his  spiritual 
privileges  and  enjoyments  to  his  own 
personal  gratification,  but  he  freely 
imparts  them  to  his  family,  fellow- 
soldiers,  and  friends.  He  who  has 
drank  in  any  measure  of  the  pure 
spirit  of  religion  will  desire  that 
others  also  should  quaff  at  the  same 
fountain  of  life.  The  worst  kind  of 
selfishness  is  selfishness  in  religious 
privileges. 

25-27.  Worshipped  him,  i.  e.  paid 
him  homage  or  obeisance,  as  v/as 
usual  to  kings  and  other  persons  of 
distinction  in  the  East.  As  a  wor- 
shipper of  the  true  God,  Cornelius 
would  not,  of  course,  have  paid  re- 
ligious homage  to  any  man,  however 
great  or  holy.  The  high  respect 
which  Cornelius  felt  for  the  one  dc- 
vinely  sent  as  his  teacher,  prompted 
this  act  to  Peter,  though  but  a  stran- 
ger. Thus  the  worship  which  was 
paid  our  Saviour  was  that  of  civil 
obeisance,  not  of  religious  homage. 
Mat.  viii.  2  ;  Mark  v.  G ;  Luke  xxiv. 
■  52 ;  John  ix.  38.  —  Stand  up  ;  I  myself 
also  am  a  man.  Cornelius  had  pros- 
trated himself  before  Peter.  It  was 
not  because  the  act  was  religious 
adoration,  but  because  it  was  a  to- 


ken of  too  profound  respect  for  him 
to  receive,  as  implying  too  great  a 
disparity  between  them,  as  servants 
of  the  same  God.  The  sensitiveness 
with  which  the  apostles  shrank  from 
the  honors  offered  them,  whether 
civil  or  religious,  chap.  xiv.  14,  15, 
testifies  how  far  they  were  from  mak- 
ing the  honors  of  this  world  the  aim 
of  their  labors.  Well  would  it  have 
been,  if  the  pretended  successors  of 
Peter  had  likewise  shunned,  with 
equal  impatience,  those  acts  of  adu- 
lation and  tokens  of  servile  homage 
which  have  been  so  abundantly  paid 
them  by  blind  adherents  ;  and  had 
said,  like  Peter  to  the  pious  Corne- 
lius, "  Stand  up ;  Ave  ourselves  also 
are  men."  —  ^s  he  talked  idth  hirn,  he 
ivent  in.  It  would  appear  that  Cor- 
nelius, under  the  impulse  of  his  joy 
and  respect,  had  gone  out  to  greet 
the  apostle  as  he  approached,  and 
that,  having  met  him,  they  returned 
together  into  the  house. 

28.  Unlmofid.  Moses  had,  indeed, 
forbidden  alliances  by  marriage  or 
otherwise  betAveen  the  Israelites  and 
foreign  idolatrous  nations,  in  order 
to  preserve  the  purity  of  tlie  true  re- 
ligion. Lev.  xviii.  24  -  30 ;  Deut.  vii. 
3-12.  But  there  was  no  provision 
in  his  law  to  forbid  the  interchange 
of  proper  civilities  and  offices  of 
kindness  and  hospitality.  Thoso 
more  rigid  prohibitions  Avere  the  off"- 
spring  of  scribes  and  Pharisees,  and 
indicated  rather  tlie  period  of  cor- 
ruption than  of  purity  in  the  national 
faith.  They  Avere  glosses  put  upon 
the  text  of  the  law,  and  betokened  a 


X.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


157 


29  me  that  I  should  not  call  any  man  common  or  unclean.  There- 
fore came  I  unto  you  without  gainsaying,  as  soon  as  I  was  sent 

30  for  :  I  ask  therefore  for  what  intent  ye  have  sent  for  me  1  And 
Cornelius  said,  Four  days  ago  I  was  fasting  until  this  hour ;  and 
at  the  ninth  hour  I  prayed  in  my  house,  and  behold,  a  man 

31  stood  before  me  in  bright  clothing,  and  said,  Cornelius,  thy 
prayer  is  heard,  and  thine  alms  are  had  in  remembrance  in  the 

32  sight  of  God.  Send  therefore  to  Joppa,  and  call  hither  Simon, 
whose  surname  is  Peter ;  he  is  lodged  in  the  house  of  one  Simon 
a  tanner,  by  the  seaside :  who,  when  he  cometh,  shall  speak  unto 

33  thee.  Immediately  therefore  I  sent  to  thee ;  and  thou  hast  well 
done  that  thou  art  come.  Now  therefore  are  we  all  here  present 
before  God,  to  hear  all  things  that  are  commanded  thee  of  God. 


narrow  spirit  of  clanship,  inconsist- 
ent in  a  nation  chosen  by  God  to  be 
the  depositary  of  a  pure  r  ligion  tor 
the  eventual  good  of  all  mankind. — 
To  keep  company^  ^c.  Liglitfoot  re- 
marks, that  by  tliese  words  it  is  not 
to  be  understood  as  if  Jews  miglit 
have  no  dealings  at  all  with  Gentiles  ; 
for  they  might  walk,  and  talk,  and 
traffic  with  them,  as  they  could  hardly 
help  doing,  living  in  heathen  cities, 
and  coming  into  contact  with  the 
Gentiles  continually  in  trade  at  Je- 
•  rusalem.  Neh.  xiii.  16.  But  the  un- 
lawfulness of  their  intercourse  with 
the  Gentiles  consisted  in  a  nearer 
and  more  intimate  society,  and  es- 
pecially in  these  two  thinirs,  "eat- 
ino"  with  them,  and  going  into  their 
houses."  Chap.  xi.  3.  It  was  on 
account  of  these  habits,  that  Tacitus 
speaks  of  the  "  hostile  spirit "  of  the 
Jews  towards  all  other  nations,  and 
Paul,  1  Thess.  ii.  15,  that  thoy  are 
"  contrary  to  all  men."  —  Another 
nation,  i.  e.  any  besides  the  Jews. — 
God  hath  showed  me,  S,'c.  It  was  the 
express  revelation  of  God.  The 
vision  wliich  had  been  granted,  vcr. 
13  - 15,  had  taught  him  that  the  Mo- 
saic distinction  between  clean  and 
unclean  animals  was  abolished;  and 
thence  the  great  inference  was  drawn 
vor,.  in.  14 


tliat  national  distinctions  were  also 
prostrated,  and  that  the  Messiah's 
kingdom  was  equally  accessible  to 
Jews  and  to  Gentiles. 

21  >,  30.  Without  gainsaying.  Tliis 
is  the  primary  meaning  of  the  origi- 
nal, but  tlie  secondary  sense  is  pref- 
erable— without  delay,  promptly. — 
/  ask  therefore  for  ivhat  intent.  Or, 
cause  or  reason.  The  apostle  had 
already  been  partially  informed,  ver. 
2:2,  but  would  receive  a  more  explicit 
declaration  from  Cornelius  himself, 
in  the  presence  of  his  friends.  — 
Four  days  ago.  The  vision  occurred 
on  tlie  first  day ;  the  messengers  ar- 
rived on  the  second,  at  Joppa,  ver. 
9,  17 ;  on  the  third,  in  company  with 
Peter  and  his  brethren,  ver.  2^3,  com- 
menced their  return  to  Cesarea  ;  and 
on  the  fourth  arrived  at  the  house  of 
the  centurion.  —  /  was  fasting  until 
this  hour,  i.  e.  tlie  same  hour  of  the 
day  as  when  he  was  conversing  with 
Peter.  Though  not  a  proselyte,  Cor- 
nelius apparently  confonned  to  many 
customs  of  the  JeAvs.  —  The  ninth 
hour,  i.  e.  three  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon. Ver.  3.  —  In  bright  clothing. 
Rather,  in  white  clothing.  Rev.  xv. 
G  ;  Mat.  xxviii.  3. 

31  -  33.  See  notes  on  ver.  4  -  G, 


158  THE  ACTS  [Chap. 

Then  Peter  opened  his  mouth,  and  said,  Of  a  truth  I  per-  34 

ceive  that  God  is  no  respecter  of  persons :  but  in  every  nation,  33 


34.  Of  a  truth  I  perceive.  Ex- 
pressing the  earnestness  of  the  con- 
viction which  now  sprang  up  in  his 
mind.  —  God  is  no  respecter  of  per- 
sons. Mat.  xxii.  16.  This  is  an  as- 
sertion of  the  divine  impartiality  and 
equity.  The  Creator  favors  none  on 
account  of  birth,  nation,  wealth,  rank, 
or  power,  nor  does  he  neglect  any 
because  they  are  destitute  of  these 
external  distinctions.  Tiie  bearing 
of  this  declaration  is  apparent.  The 
grand  truth  had  now  flashed  upon 
the  mind  of  Peter,  that  Jews  and 
Gentiles  were  equally  the  objects  of 
the  benevolent  regard  of  God.  His 
mind  burst  the  cerements  of  old  pre- 
judices, and  dilated  into  tlie  liberty 
of  Christ,  the  world's  Messiah.  The 
case  of  Corni^lius  had  taught  him 
that  the  grounds  of  acceptance  with 
God  were  not  national  or  external, 
but  moral,  grounds.  The  Roman 
centurion  had  been  taken,  and  the 
JeAvish  Rabbin  left.  The  mysteries 
of  God  had  been  hidden  from  the 
wise  and  prudent,  and  revealed  unto 
babes.  The  weak  things  of  the 
world  had  been  chosen,  to  confound 
the  things  which  are  mighty.  The 
first  had  been  last,  and  the  last  first. 
In  this  seeming  confusion,  the  im- 
pulsive soul  of  Peter,  guided  by  thi> 
spirit  of  heaven,  aliglited  upon  tlie 
true  principle,  which  he  fearlessly 
ntters.  But  it  would  be  an  illegiti- 
mate inference  from  his  Avords,  tliat 
God  is  no  respecter  of  persons,  as  it  re- 
gards their  characters  and  lives  ;  that 
he  treats  the  good  and  the  bad  alike  ; 
that  his  providence  is  promiscuous, 
his  government  undistinguishing,  his 
favor  and  his  frown  equally  capri- 
cious; for  the  words  of  Peter  relate, 
not  to  the  internal,  but  the  extern  1, 
condition.  The  instance  of  Corne- 
lius himself  testified  that  He  had  re- 
spect to  integrity  and  sanctity,  vcr. 


4,  22,  31 ;  and  in  the  next  verse  the 
apostle  proceeds  to  limit  and  explain 
his  first  announcement,  by  declaring, 
in  the  clearest  manner,  what  was  the 
grand  principle  of  acceptance  or  re- 
jection with  the  impartial  Deity. 

35.  In  every  nation.  Whether  Jew 
or  Gentile,  bond  or  free,  —  He  that 
feareth  him,  and  worketh  righteous- 
ness. Or,  does  right  As  Peter  had 
virtually  declared,  in  the  preceding 
verse,  "  God  was  no  respecter  of  per- 
sons," that  he  would  as  readily  re- 
ceive to  his  favor  a  Cornelius  as  a 
Gamaliel,  a  soldier  of  Rome  as  a 
Rabbin  of  Jerusalem,  the  question 
Avould  naturally  arise,  Upon  what 
ground  ums  acceptance  based  ?  how 
should  his  justice  and  truth  be  vin- 
dicated ?  The  essential  criterion  vras 
here  laid  doAvn.  God  would  accept 
those,  and  only  those,  in  any  nation, 
Avho  revered  him  and  worked  right- 
eousness. The  tAvo  leading  branches 
of  human  duty,  as  here  indicated, 
are  Avhat  is  due  to  heaven  and  Avhat 
to  earth,  Avhat  to  God  and  what  to 
man,  —  reverence  and  righteousness, 
piety  and  benevolence.  It  is  an-  • 
nounced,  with  noonday  distinctness, 
that,  upon  these  premises,  God  is  a 
respecter  of  persons ;  that  he  Avill  ac- 
cept the  heaven-fearing  and  Avell-do- 
ing  man,  and  that  he  will  reject  the 
impious  and  unrighteous.  Thus  is 
the  moral  character  of  God,  as  a 
righteous  Governor  of  the  universe, 
vindicated  against  every  aspersion, 
and  a  system  described  under  which 
every  intelligent  and  m.oral  being 
must  rejoice  to  live.  This  declara- 
tion sheds  a  world  of  light  over  all 
the  dealings  of  God  Avith  mankind 
throughout  succes.^ive  ages.  He  has 
poured  out  his  Spirit  upon  certain 
individuals,  at  various  periods,  not 
because  they  Avere  his  special  favor- 
ites, but  because  they  Avere  selected 


X.]  OF  THE  APOSTLES.  159 

he  that  feareth  him  and  worketh  righteousness,  is  accepted  with 


as  his  agents  for  the  good  of  the  rest  of 
mankind.  The  Jews  were  his  chosen 
people,  not  simply  for  tlieir  own  sakes, 
—  for  they*were  ever  a  stiff-necked 
and  rebellious  people,  —  but  for  the 
s:ike  of  a  corrupt  and  idolatrous  worlds 
The  Christian  nations,  also,  have  been 
blessed  with  the  gospel,  not  that  they 
might  pride  themselves  on  their  su- 
perior privileges,  and  despise  others  ; 
but  that  they  might  be  light-bearers 
to  a  world  lying  in  darkness  and  the 
shadow  of  death.  In  the  mean  time, 
individuals  all  over  the  world,  through 
all  time  and  into  all  eternity,  are 
treated  according  to  their  moral  de- 
serts, —  good  to  the  good,  and  evil  to 
the  evil.  The  black  and  the  white, 
the  Jew  and  the  Gentile,  the  Chris- 
tian and  the  heathen,  are  judged  ac- 
cording to  the  deeds  done  in  the  llesh, 
whether  good  or  bad.  In  making  up 
the  account,  as  a  hundred  passages 
of  Scripture  declare,  allowance  is 
made  for  the  talents,  condition,  and 
privileges,  of  each  soul,  and  the  bal- 
ance is  struck  to  the  side  of  mercy. 

This  interpretation  sheds  a  gleam 
of  light  over  the  condition  of  the 
heathen,  and  justifies  the  ways  of 
God  to  man.  If  they  have  no  clear- 
er law,  they  are  a  law  unto  them- 
selves, and  by  that  they  will  be 
judged.  So  far  as  they  are  faitliful 
to  the  light  of  conscience,  and  heed 
its  divine  sanctions,  they  must  and 
will  taste  its  sweet  and  immortal  ap- 
proval. And  this  view  does  not  di- 
minish one  iota  the  need  of  tlie  gos- 
pel to  mankind,  or  make  the  cross  of 
Christ  of  none  effect  But,  on  the  con- 
trary, it  enlarges,  dignifies,  heightens, 
immeasurably,  its  necessity,  value, 
and  glory.  Christianity  is  an  instru- 
ment of  regeneration,  of  improvement, 
of  salvation.  The  few  cases  of  partial 
fidelity  to  duty  and  to  God  among 
the  heathen  —  a  Cornelius  in  one  age, 
a  Socrates  in  another  —  are  perfected 


and  multiplied  by  its  power  to  myr- 
iads and  millions.  It  comes  to  prop- 
agate spiritual  light  and  life  through 
degraded  masses  of  humanity,  and 
to  enable  multitudes  to  recognize  a 
higher  moral  law,  and  yield  it  more 
consistent  obedience  than  they  paid 
to  the  beggarly  elements  of  super- 
stition and  custom.  The  sublime 
principles  of  the  moral  government 
of  God  remain  the  same  under  all 
dispensations,  yesterday,  to-day,  and 
forever.  And  the  single  benevolent 
and  essential  end  for  which  Moses 
and  the  prophets  opened,  and  Jesus 
and  the  apostles  closed  and  sealed, 
the  covenant  of  mercy,  was  to  en- 
lighten mankind  as  to  these  princi- 
ples, reconcile  their  hearts  to  them, 
and  through  them  to  the  Father ;  and 
move  them  by  all  hopes  and  fears, 
once  by  the  thunders  of  Sinai,  and 
ever  by  the  blood  of  Calvary,  to  flee 
from  all  sin,  and  to  seek  the  refuge 
of  God,  and  his  loving-kindness, 
which  is  better  than  life. 

As  remarked,  however,  by  Rosen- 
muller,  Peter  does  not  assert  an  m- 
difftrence  of  religions,  but  of  nations. 
That  religion,  of  course,  must  be  in- 
finitely preferable,  in  comparison  with 
others,  which  leads  men  with  the  high- 
est and  strongest  influences  to  "  fear 
God,  and  work  righteousness  ; "  and 
though  Cornelius  had  done  well  as  a 
Gentile,  with  an  infusion  of  Judaism, 
he  would  do  far  better  as  a  Chris- 
tian ;  for,  though  he  had  become  a 
man  of  prayer  and  consistent  good- 
ness, he  yet  needed  the  blessed  mo- 
tives and  nurture  of  the  gospel  to 
complete  the  work  which  had  been 
so  well  begun.  The  text  is  not, 
therefore,  to  be  construed  as  dimin- 
ishing the  necessity  of  the  cross  of 
Christ,  and  the  message  of  glad  ti- 
dings, since  but  few  would  ever  ad- 
vance, Avithout  the  gospel,  even  as 
far  as  the  centurion.    The  great  por- 


160 


Til  J-:   ACTS 


[Chap. 


him.  The  word  which  God  sent  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  36 
preaching  peace  by  Jesus  Christ:  (he  is  Lord  of  all :)  that  word,  37 
/  5«y,  ye  know,  which  was  published  throughout  all  Judea,  and 


tion  of  mankind  would  remain  forev- 
er in  brutal  sin ;  while  Cornelius,  too, 
and  such  as  he,  required  further  illu- 
mination, impulse,  and  sanctification, 
before  they  could  be  meet  for  the 
heavenly  kingdom,  or  attain  to  the 
highest  excellence  of  which  they 
were  made  capable.  So  that  it  may 
be  well  said  that  "  there  is  no  other 
name  under  heaven  given  among 
men  whereby  we  must  be  saved," 
except  that  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
36.  The.  wordy  i.  e.  the  revelation, 
the  gospel ;  one  of  the  leading  prin- 
ciples of  which  was  that  just  de- 
clared, that  Jews  and  Gentiles  alike 
come  under  the  merciful  regards  of 
the  impartial  Father  of  all.  —  Sent 
unto  tlie  children  of  Israel.  Themes- 
sage  of  good  news  and  of  great  joy 
had  been  first  proclaimed  to  the  Jews, 
both  by  the  Messiah  and  his  follow- 
ers. The  worshippers  of  the  one 
true  God  were  entitled  to  the  first 
opportunity.  Their  elementary  dis- 
cipline had  prepared  the  way  for  the 
reception  of  higher  truths,  and  "  the 
touching  of  the  soul  to  finer  issues." 
Mat.  X.  5, 6 ;  Luke  xxiv.  47  ;  Acts  xiii. 
46.  —  Preaching  peace,  &fc.  Here, 
also,  appears  the  great  idea  indicat- 
ed above.  Peace  between  the  Jews 
and  Gentiles  was  now  proclaimed. 
The  walls  of  division  and  of  bitter 
alienation  were  throAvn  down,  and  all 
were  brought  into  one  body  by  Je- 
sus. They  were  mutually  recon- 
ciled to  one  another,  and  jointly 
reconciled  to  God.  The  gospel  is 
eminently  a  religion  of  peace.  It 
breathes  peace  and  love  as  its  very 
element;  it  dies  in  the  atmospliere 
of  violence  and  war.  It  enjoins  and 
diffuses  peace  in  the  soul,  in  families, 
in  society,  in  nations,  through  the 
world.  It  came  to  uproot  not  only 
tlie  Jewish  exclusiveness,  but  to  unite 


the  tribes  and  races  of  men  in  a  lov- 
ing brotherhood  ;  to  melt  away  the 
icy  repugnances  of  clanship,  and  par- 
ty, and  nationality,  and  to  teach  men 
how  to  love  their  country  not  less, 
but  their  race  more  ;  so  that  the 
Christian  should  adopt  the  golden 
motto,  "  My  country  is  the  world, 
and  my  countrymen  all  mankind."  — 
He  is  Lord  of  all.  This  clause  is 
parenthetical  —  thrown  in,  as  numer- 
ous Trinitarian  writers  concede,  not 
to  declare  tlie  Deity  of  Jesus  Christ, 
but  to  express  still  further  the  reign- 
ing thought  of  the  whole  passage  — 
that  the  Messiah  was  not  the  Mes- 
siah of  the  Jews  merely,  but  also  of 
the  Gentiles  ;  was  appointed  the  spir- 
itual Lord  of  the  world  by  the  pow- 
er delegated  from  the  Father.  Thus 
Pyle  has  said,  "  This  was  the  true 
Messiah,  the  Saviour  of  all  mankind. 
Gentiles  as  well  as  Jews,  constituted 
by  God  the  Father  to  be  the  Gov- 
ernor and  Judge  of  all  the  world." 

37.  That  word.  Rather,  that  thing, 
matter,  affair;  for  the  original  is 
different  from  tlie  term  in  ver.  36, 
rendered  in  the  same  way ;  the  one 
meaning  the  doctrine,  as  coming 
from  God,  the  other  as  taking  a  con- 
crete form,  as  a  religious  movement, 
and  manifested  in  the  life,  preach- 
ing, and  death  of  Jesus  Christ.  Ver. 
38.  —  Ye  know.  This  verb  governs, 
as  its  object,  ivord  in  this  verse, 
ivord  in  ver.  36,  and  Jesus  in  ver.  38, 
which  all  appear  to  be  put  in  appo- 
sition with  one  another.  The  apos- 
tle here  appeals  to  the  general 
knowledge  of  his  hearers  respecting 
the  gospel ;  for,  besides  the  common 
report,  which  would  reach  this  popu- 
lous city,  of  the  miracles  and  doc- 
trines of  Christ,  Philip,  the  evangel- 
ist, had,  in  all  probability,  preached 
the  new  religion  in  this  place  of  hi3 


X.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


161 


58  began  from  Galilee,  after  the  baptism  which  John  preached ;  how 
God  anointed  Jesus  of  Nazareth  with  the  Holy  Ghost  and  with 
power :   who  went  about  doing  good,  and  healing  all  that  were 


own  abode.  Chap.  viii.  40.  —  Pub- 
lished throughout  all  Judea.  By  the 
successive  ministries  of  the  twelve, 
and  the  seventy,  Luke  ix.  10,  as  well 
as  by  his  own  travels,  Jesus  had 
diffused  a  general  knowledge  of  his 
revelation  throughout  Palestine.  — 
Betrnn  from  Galilee.  This  clause 
would,  in  a  strict  succession  of 
thought,  more  properly  come  before 
tiie  last,  thus,  "  The  word  began  from 
Galileo,  and  was  published  through- 
out all  Judea."  Though  Jesus  was 
a  native  of  Bethlehem  in  Judea,  yet 
Nazareth  and  Capernaum  were  the 
respective  residences  of  his  child- 
hood and  manhood,  and  his  first 
miracle  was  at  Cana.  His  apostles 
and  disciples  at  first  were  principally 
Galileans ;  so  that  it  mij^ht  be  truly 
said  that  to  obscure  and  despised 
Galilee  the  world  owes  Christianity, 
so  tar  as  its  earthly  origin  is  con- 
sidered. —  After  the  baptism  which 
John  preached.  Peter  fails  not  to 
mention  this  important  preliminary 
step  to  the  introduction  of  the  gos- 
pel, the  preaching  of  reformation  by 
John,  and  his  baptism  of  repentance. 
Mat.  iii. 

38.  How  God  anointed,  ^-c.  The 
more  strictly  grammatical  rendering 
of  this  clause  in  connexion  with 
t!ie  two  preceding  vers  -s,  according 
to  Scholefield,  would  be  as  follows : 
"The  word  which  he  sent  to  the 
children  of  Israel,  preaching  peace 
by  Jesus  Christ,  (he  is  the  Lord  of 
all,)  ye  know ;  even  the  matter  which 
took  place  throughout  all  Judea, 
beofinning  from  Galilee,  after  the 
baptism  which  John  preached,  con- 
cerning Jesus  of  Nazareth,  how  God 
anointed  him,"  &c.  In  figurative 
language,  taken  from  the  Jewish 
custom  of  anointing  their  kings, 
priests,  and  prophets,  Jesus  is  repre- 
14* 


sented  as  being  anointed,  i.  e.  set 
apart,  invested  with  his  holy  office, 
endued  with  power  from  on  high.  — 
PFith  the  Holy  Ghost  and  with  power. 
Or,  to  drop  the  circumlocution,  with 
the  powerful  influence  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  by  which  he  was  enabled  to 
work  miracles,  to 

"  Attest  his  hnavon-derived  claim, 
And  glorify  his  Father's  name." 

—  IVhx)  went  about  doing  good.  No 
words  could  express  in  a  more  sim- 
ple and  beautiful  maimer  tlie  un- 
wearied benevolence  of  our  Master. 
The  traveller  has  visited  various 
countries  in  the  pursuit  of  knowl- 
edge, and  the  extension  of  his  fame. 
The  conqueror  has  traversed  conti- 
nents, but  left  a  trail  of  blood  be- 
hind him.  The  adventurous  mer- 
chant penetrates  the  most  distant 
regions  of  the  earth  in  quest  of  gold. 
The  religious  bigot  compasses  sea 
and  land  to  make  one  proselyte  to 
his  own  dark  creed.  But  none,  ex- 
cept a  divine  invention,  could  devise 
so  original  a  character  as  tliis,  of 
him  who  went  about  doing  good; 
who  used  his  great  powers  only  to  ac- 
complish benevolent  ends,  by  curing 
the  sick,  comforting  the  afflicted,  and 
recovering  the  sinner.  He  was  thus 
the  image  of  the  Father's  love,  as 
well  as  the  bearer  of  the  Father's 
power.  He  did  good,  tlierefore,  by 
being  first  himself  good,  by  the  pure 
effulgence  of  his  OAvn  benignant 
spirit,  and  by  acting  under  a  lively 
s  mse  of  his  responsibleness  to  God 
for  his  power.  He  was  ever  ready  to 
forget  and  sacrifice  himself  for  the 
good  of  others,  and  the  salvation  of 
men.  He  sought,  also,  chiefly  to  do 
good  to  men  spiritually,  and  to  re- 
deem their  immortal  souls  from  cor- 
ruption.   In  all  which  we  ought  to 


im 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


oppressed  of  the  devil ;    for  God  was  vvitli  him.     And  we  are  39 
witnesses  of  all  things  which  he  did,  both  in  the  land  of  the 
Jews,  and  in  Jerusalem ;  whom  they  slew  and  hanged  on  a  tree : 
him   God    raised  up   the  third  day,    and   showed    him    openly ;  40 
not  to  all  the  people,  but  unto  witnesses  chosen  before  of  God,  41 
even  to  us,  who  did  eat  and  drink  with  him  after  he  rose  from 


imitate  our  great  exemplar,  and,  like 
him,  in  our  several  spheres,  "  go 
about  doing  good."  —  Healing  all 
that  were  oppressed  of  the  devil. 
Fanner  remarks,  that  "though  one 
author  refers  this  passage  to  Christ's 
recovering  men  from  the  poAver  of 
the  devil,  to  obedience  to  God,  it  is 
nevertheless  evident  that  St.  Peter 
is  here  showing  that  Christ's  divine 
commission  Avas  demonstrated  by  his 
miracles"  The  point  is,  that  the 
Jews  were  accustomed  to  regard  all 
the  diseased  as  oppressed  by  an  evil 
spirit,  Luke  xiii.  11,  1C> ;  but  those 
possessed  by  demons,  or  demoniacs, 
i.  e.  insane,  lunatic,  and  epileptic 
persons,  were  supposed,  in  particular, 
to  be  tormented  by  the  spirits  of 
M'icked  men  deceased.  To  quote 
the  writer  above,  "The  apostle  seems 
here  to  refer  to  Christ's  cure  of  the 
diseased  in  general,  Avithout  taking 
into  consideration  the  particular 
case  of  the  demoniacs  ;  who  in  the 
Gospels  are  distinguislied  from  the 
blind,  the  lame,  the  paralytic,  and 
those  afflicted  Avith  other  maladies ; 
concerning  Avhom  we  never  read 
that  demons  entered,  or  Avere  ex- 
pelled, from  them."  Mat.  iv.  23. — 
For  God  ivas  ivith  liim,  i.  e.  in  a  mi- 
raculous manner,  assisting  him  to 
perform  his  wonderful  and  beneficent 
Avorks.  John  iii.  2,  34,  xvi.  32.  No 
trutJi  is  reiterated  more  frequently 
in  the  NeAv  Testament  than  the 
dependence  of  Christ  upon  the  Fa- 
ther ;  that  he  was  sanctified  and  sent, 
raised  up,  commissioned,  empoAvered, 
by  one  greater  than  himself;  and  it 
is  a  wholly  unauthorized  evasion 
and  subterfuge,  from  the  pressure  of 


this  oft-repeated  fact,  to  resort  to 
the  theory  of  the  double  nature,  the 
tAvofold  being,  of  Christ 

39,  40.  IVe  are  witnesses  of  all 
thinors.  To  bear  testimony  to  the 
truth  of  Christ's  history  Avas  a  lead- 
ing branch  of  the  apostolic  office. 
Luke  xxiv.  48 ;  John  xiv.  26 ;  Acts 
i.  22,  V.  32.  —  Who7n  they  slew  and 
hanged  on  a  tree.  Or,  better,  "  Avhom 
they  slcAv  by  suspending  on  a  tree," 
i.  e.  cross.  Chap.  v.  30.  —  Htm  God 
raised  up.  In  every  instance,  God 
is  referred  to  as  the  cause  of  Christ's 
resun-ection.  Chap.  v.  31.  —  Showed 
him  openly.  His  appearance  Avas  so 
manifest  as  to  preclude  the  possibility 
of  mistake. 

41.  JVot  to  all  the  people,  but  unto 
witnesses.  Here  is  a  smgular  con- 
cession that  Christ  did  not  appear, 
except  to  his  friends.  At  first  this 
might  seem  to  impugn  the  validity 
of  the  evidence  of  his  resurrection, 
but  further  consideration  Avill  lead 
to  a  different  conclusion ;  for  it 
Avas  necessary  that  those  should  see 
him,  after  his  resurrection,  who  had 
been  familiar  Avith  him  during  his 
life ;  else  they  might  not  identify 
him.  A  miscellaneous  multitude 
could  not,  of  course,  have  made  any 
record,  or  had  an  opportunity  of 
giving  any  trustA^'orthy  testimony  of 
this  important  fact  Besides,  as  to 
any  moral  end  being  subserved  by 
his  reappearance,  those  Avho  had  not 
been  convinced  by  his  other  miracles 
and  teachings,  Avould  not  have  been 
persuaded,  though  he  rose  from  the 
dead  and  appeared  to  them.  The 
number  of  Avitnesses  was  sufficient 
for  the  purpose,  and  at  one  time  was 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


163 


42  the  dead.     And  he  commanded  us  to  preach  unto  the  people, 
and  to  testify  that  it  is  he  which  was  ordained  of  God  to  he  the 

43  Judge  of  quick  and  dead.     To  him  give  all  the  prophets  witness, 
that  through  his  name  whosoever  believeth  in  him  shall  receive 

41  remission  of  sins. While  Peter  yet  spake  these  words,  the 


considerable.  1  Cor.  xv.  6.  It  was 
proper,  also,  that  those  should  bear 
witness  to  this  wonderful  fact  w^ho 
would  make  use  of  it  for  the  great 
end  for  which  it  was  wrought,  and 
would  die,  if  need  be,  for  the  truth 
of  what  they  testified.  The  fairness 
of  the  apostle  in  stating  that  Jesus 
appeared  only  to  his  disciples,  car- 
ries with  it  great  weight,  and  over- 
balances any  supposed  weakness  in 
the  evidence.  —  Chosen  before  of  God, 
The  apostles  had  been  divinely  se- 
lected for  the  work.  —  fVho  did  eat 
and  drink,  ^c.  Luke  xxiv.  42,  43 ; 
John  xxi.  12,  13.  These  circum- 
stances are  mentioned  by  Peter  as 
striking  corroborations  of  the  resur- 
rection of  Jesus,  to  assure  them,  be- 
yond all  doubt,  of  the  reality  of  the 
miracle. 

42.  He  commamled  us.  See  Mat. 
xxviii.  19,  20 ;  Luke  xxiv.  47 ;  Acts 
i.  8.  — ■  T/ie  Judge  of  quick  and  dead. 
See  chap.  xvii.  31 ;  2  Tim.  iv.  8 ; 
Heb.  xii,  23.  One  of  the  prominent 
objects  of  Christianity  was  to  reveal 
a  future  state  of  righteous  retribution, 
in  which  men  will  be  judged  accord- 
ing to  the  deeds  done  in  the  flesh, 
whether  good  or  bad.  The  apostle 
here  announces  that  Jesus  Avas  to  be 
the  Judge  of  the  quick  and  the  dead, 
or  the  living  and  the  dead,  i.  e.  of  all 
men.  From  the  facts  that,  in  some 
instances,  God  is  represented  as  the 
Judg-e,  Eccl.  iii.  17 ;  Rom.  ii.  16,  iii.  6 ; 
in  others  C/imf,Johnv.22,  27;  2  Tim. 
iv.  1  ;  in  others  the  Word,  John  xii.  48 ; 
in  yet  others,  the  twelve  apostles,  Mat. 
xix.  28  ;  and  also  the  saints,  1  Cor.  vi. 
2, 3 ;  —  the  most  rational  inference  is, 
that  men  will  be  judged  according 
to  the  eternal  principles  of  righteous- 


ness. But  the  particular  administra- 
tion is  left  in  darkness,  since  the 
declarations  of  Scripture,  if  literally 
interpreted,  would  often  conflict  with 
each  other.  Jesus  will  be  the  Judge 
of  mankind,  both  here  and  hereafter, 
so  far  as  their  condition  is  determined 
by  the  laws  of  his  religion.  The 
expression  used  in  the  text  some- 
what corresponds,  therefore,  to  that 
in  ver.  26,  "  He  is  Lord  of  all." 

4^3.  To  kirn  give  all  the  prophets,  &fc. 
The  word  all  is  not  to  be  pressed  too 
far,  but  that  Jesus  was  tlie  object  of 
prophecy  is  put  beyond  question  by 
his  own  declaration,  as  well  as  by 
that  of  his  apostles.  Luke  xxiv.  27, 
44-46;  Acts  iii.  18,  xiii.  27.  It  is 
cust  imary  for  the  commentators  to 
refer  to  such  passages  as  Is.  xxviii. 
16,  liii. ;  Zech.  xiii.  1 ;  but  the  appli- 
cation is  not  always  apparent. — 
Whosoever  believeth.  in  him,  ^c.  The 
promise  of  remission  of  sins  is  here ' 
given  to  him  that  believeth  in  Christ ; 
because  a  true  faith  in  him,  by  its 
very  nature,  leads  to  repentance, 
amendment  of  life,  and  good  works. 
Those  who  believed  in  Christ,  even 
from  among  the  Gentiles,  were  also 
cleansed  from  that  state  of  ceremo- 
nial uncleanness  in  which  they  were 
involved,  and  admitted  to  tlie  con- 
dition of  saints,  or  holy  men,  so  far 
as  their  external  condition  was  con- 
cerned. A  new  and  living  way  was 
opened  to  the  favor  of  God,  without 
entering  by  the  circuitous  passage 
of  the  Mosaic  ritual.  Belief,  faith,  a 
moral  sentiment  and  principle,  not 
an  external  ritual,  were  to  be  here- 
after the  criterion  of  character,  and 
the  gi-ound  of  acceptance. 

44.   The    Holy    GJwst  fell    The 


151 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


Holy  Ghost  fell  on  all  them  which  heard  the  word.     And  they  45 
of  the  circumcision  which  believed,  were  astonished,  as  many  as 
came  with  Peter,  because  that  on  the  Gentiles  also  was  poured 
out  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost.     For  they  heard  them  speak  with  W3 
tongues,  and  magnify  God.     Then  answered  Peter,  Can  any  man  47 
forbid  water,  that  these  should  not  be  baptized,  which  have  re- 
ceived the  Holy  Ghost   as  well   as  we?     And    he   commanded  -'8 
them  to  be  baptized  in  the  name  of  the  Lord.     Then   prayed 
they  him  to  tarry  certain  days. 


Jewish  doctors  taught  that  "  the  Ho- 
ly Spirit  would  neither  dwell  upon 
any  heathen,  nor  upon  any  Jew  in  a 
heathen  country."  Hence  the  de- 
scent of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon  this 
company  of  Gentiles,  and  the  extra- 
ordinary gift  of  tongues  bestowed 
upon  them,  ver.  46,  would  be  regard- 
ed as  testimony  from  heaven,  that 
Gentiles  as  well  as  Jews  might  enter 
tlie  new  church  of  the  Messiah,  not- 
withstanding their  supposed  ceremo- 
nial unfitness.  No  miracle  would 
convince  the  Jews  more  readily  than 
this,  that  no  national  bar  guarded 
the  entrance  to  Christ's  kingdom ; 
but  that  in  him  all  nations  should 
find  the  liberty  of  a  spiritual  service, 
and  privileges  only  restricted,  or  ob- 
structed in  their  use  or  enjoyment, 
by  the  moral  state  of  those  who 
sought  them. 

45,  46.  They  of  the  circumcision., 
i.  e.  the  companions  of  Peter  from 
Joppa.  In  the  astonishment  which 
they  exhibited,  we  detect  the  pre- 
vious state  of  their  minds,  and  the 
narrow  prejudices  of  Jewish  exclu- 
siveness.  Probably  the  best  illus- 
tration of  the  strength  of  those 
prejudices  would  be  found,  at  the 
present  day,  in  the  rooted  antipathy 
of  the  whites  to  the  blacks.  The 
Jews  deemed  other  nations  but  as 
dogs  and  sinners  ;  and  to  admit  them 
to  an  equality  with  themselves  in 
religious  privileges  was  a  monstrous 
desecration,  a  horrid  sacrilege,  in 
their  judgment  —Sj)eak  withtongues. 


See  notes  on  chap.  ii.  4-8.  The 
fact  that  they  were  empowered  to 
speak  in  different  tongues  was  well 
calculated  to  prove,  in  the  most 
convincing  manner,  the  reality  of 
the  spiritual  influence.  —  Answered. 
More  correctly,  "  said  ;"  or,  "  spoke." 

47.  Can  any  man  forbid  water  ?  By 
wliich  it' would  seem  that  the  water 
was  t(»  be  brought  to  tliem,  and  not 
they  to  the  water ;  and  hence  might 
be  inferred  the  smallness  of  the 
quantity  to  be  used,  and  the  proba- 
bility of  tlie  mode  employed  as  being 
that  of  sprinkling,  or  affusion.  The 
question  implies  the  possibility  of  a 
doubt  in  the  minds  of  some  of  the 
spectators,  as  to  tlie  propriety  of  their 
receiving  Christian  baptism.  It  is 
evident  that  something  more  than 
the  baptism  of  the  Spirit  was  required 
for  the  Christian  profession ;  since 
these  Gentiles  had  already  received 
spiritual  gifts,  and  yet  w^ere  baptized 
with  water,  as  an  important  addition- 
al ceremony.  The  communication 
of  the  Spirit  and  the  gift  of  tongues 
convinced  the  Jews  present  of  the 
propriety  of  baptizing  even  Gentiles, 
which  may  serve  to  explain  the  re- 
versed order  of  proceedings,  com- 
pared with  that  in  chap.  ii.  38,  viii. 
15-17,  where  the  Spirit  was  impart- 
ed after  baptism. 

48.  Commanded  them  to  be  bap- 
tized, ^T.  Though  execution  of  the 
command  is  not  mentioned,  yet  the 
rite  undoubtedly  took  place.  It  is 
not  stated  who  performed  the  office ; 


XI.] 


OF   THE   APOSTLES. 


165 


CHAPTER   XL 

The  Vision  of  Peter,  and  the  Diffusion  of  the  Gospel. 

And  the  apostles  and  brethren  that  were  in  Judea,  heard  that 


but,  as  the  apostles  did  not  always 
baptize,  it  might,  in  this  instance,  de- 
volve on  the  other  brethren  present 
1  Cor.  i.  14  - 17.  The  word  command- 
ed implies  that  the  work  was  done  by- 
others.  It  is  remarkable  that,  in  all 
the  recorded  instances  of  baptism  in 
the  New  Testament,  the  formula 
used  is  not  the  precise  one  given  by 
Jesus,  in  Mat  xxviii.  19;  but  the 
words  are,  in  the  name  of  the  Lord, 
in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  This 
should  teach  us  not  to  have  a  blind 
and  superstitious  regard  for  the  par- 
ticular form  of  words,  but  to  rever- 
ence its  vital  spirit,  which  is  capable 
of  being  conveyed  in  other  terms 
without  violation. 

The  interest  of  the  foregoing 
chapter  consists  in  that  new  act  in 
the  progress  of  the  Christian  drama 
by  which  the  Gentiles  are  admitted 
upon  the  stage,  and  even  allowed 
entrance  into  the  holy  of  holies,  the 
influences  of  the  Spirit  and  the  privi- 
leges of  profession.  A  worthy  leader 
conducts  the  Gentile  host  into  the 
promised  land  of  the  gospel  —  Cor- 
nelius, the  holy,  devout,  and  just 
man.  The  long  line  of  march  has 
still  been  sustained  from  generation 
to  generation,  and  it  will,  in  due 
time,  draw  into  the  "  noble  army  "  all 
kindreds,  and  tongues,  and  nations. 
God  be  thanked  that,  in  view  of  this 
glorious  ancient  example,  we  may 
ever  appeal  with  confidence  from  the 
miserable  illiberality  and  exclusive- 
ness  of  dogmatists,  to  the  benevolent 
impartiality  and  even-handed  admin- 
istration of  the  Father  of  all !  that 
creeds  cannot  shut  Up  the  universal 
trutli,  nor  churches  limit  the  bound- 
less mercies  of  Heaven !  We  shud- 
der at  Jewish  bigotry,  which  proposed 
to  monopolize  God  for  its  own  be- 


hoof, and  sink  the  rest  of  the  rational 
creation  into  perdition.  Let  us  not 
be  cheated  by  names,  but  see  in 
Christian  bigotry,  so  rampant  in  many 
of  the  lordly  hierarchies  and  the 
lowly  heresies  of  the  present  day,  a 
yet  more  deplorable  deviation  from 
the  spirit  of  true  feligion  —  an  err- 
ing from  the  right  palJi,  not  in  black 
midnight  or  deceptive  twilight,  but 
under  the  cloudless  sun. 

CHAPTER  XL 

In  the  development  of  Christiani- 
ty, there  are  certain  defined  stages 
and  gradations.  The  preaching  of 
John  the  Baptist ;  the  life  of  Christ, 
his  death,  and  reappearance  and  as- 
cension ;  the  spiritualization  of  the 
apostles  ;  the  conflict  with  the  Jew- 
ish sects,  with  Pharisaic  bigotry,  and 
Sadducean  skepticism ;  the  diversi- 
fied struggle  of  the  gospel,  after  it 
passed  tiie  bounds  of  Judea,  with 
the  hundred-headed  Gentile  idolatry, 
that  lay  outstretched  like  some  mon- 
strous reptile,  ready  to  lift  up  its  glit- 
tering crest  in  every  city,  and  hiss 
at  the  holy  preachers  of  God  with 
its  forked  and  poisonous  tongue  ;  — 
these  constitute  a  succession  of 
growths,  of  unfoldings,  of  the  truth 
of  Heaven,  in  its  application  to  hu- 
man sin  and  want,  most  interesting 
in  their  character,  and  beautiful  to 
study.  Who,  that  has  an  eye  to  be- 
hold, and  a  heart  to  admire,  the  deli- 
cate processes  of  nature — the  spread- 
ing of  the  living  light ;  the  series 
of  germ,  leaf,  bud,  flower,  fruit,  and 
seed,  in  the  plant  —  will  not  also  ac- 
knowledge the  forming  hand  of  the 
Deity  in  this  spiritual  creation ;  this 
new  heaven  of  brighter  suns,  this 
new  earth,  with  richer,  lovelier  pro- 
ductions ? 


.166  THE  ACTS  [Chap. 

the  Gentiles  had  also  received  the  word  of  God.     And   when  2 


We  stand,  at  the  commencement 
of  this  chapter,  at  a  new  stao^e  of 
expansion,  at  a  new  point  of  depart- 
ure of  the  Christian  faith,  at  the  out- 
set of  the  most  important  controversy 
that  has  ever  arisen  in  the  church ; 
one  that  concerned  the  lars^est  par- 
ties, the  whole  Jewish  world  being 
on  one  side,  and  the  whole  Gentile 
world  on  tlie  other  ;  one  that  tested 
the  most  thoroughly  the  nature  and 
aim  of  the  gospel,  confuting  the  Jew- 
ish fallacy,  and  demonstrating  the 
divine  impartiality  to  all  mankind  ; 
one  whose  errors  have  more  than 
any  other  infected  succeeding  ages, 
diffused  mists  and  false  lights  through 
whole  nations,  and  mingled  a  vicious 
element  in  the  composition  of  most 
systems  of  faith  in  Christendom.  We 
have  come  to  the  edge  of  that  battle- 
field, where  the  fortunes  of  churches, 
and  kingdoms,  and  souls,  have  been 
decided  in  "high  debate."  Before 
we  become  confused  in  the  tumult  of 
the  conflict,  let  us  see  the  position 
of  the  combatants,  and  understand 
the  nature  and  justice  of  tlieit  re- 
spective causes. 

The  Jews  contended  that  the 
Messiah  was  peculiarly  their  Messi- 
ah. They  monopolized  his  religion. 
The  Gentiles  would  be  blessed  by 
him,  not  as  Gentiles,  but  by  first  be- 
coming Jews,  and  thus  gaining  a 
title  to  his  favor  and  promises.  The 
way  to  Jesus  was  still  through  the 
ho!y  temple.  Every  Gentile  neck 
must  first  bow  to  the  yoke  of  Moses, 
before  it  could  lift  itself  up  in  the 
liberty  of  Christ  This  was  the  feel- 
ing of  the  apostles,  Jews  as  they 
w^ere,  and  long  and  stiffly  did  they 
cling  to  their  national  peculiarity. 
They  were  but  babes,  little  ones,  as 
the  Master  called  them,  f  ^r  a  long 
time.  They  could  not  walk  in  their 
Lord's  footsteps.  They  could  hardly 
lisp  the  glorious  language  of  love, 


human  brotherhood,  and  boundless, 
impartial  mercy,  which  lie  used  as 
heartily  and  gracefully  as  if  he  had 
not  lived  in  Nazareth,  nor  worshipped 
at  Jerusalem.  But  he  bore  with 
them  tenderly,  and  nurtured  them, 
as  a  nurse  her  feeble  child,  until 
they  should  grow  up  into  the  stature 
of  perfect  men  in  him. 

The  Gentiles,  on  the  other  hand, 
when  they  became  converts,  felt 
painfully  the  stricture  of  this  Jewish 
bondage.  The  apostles  themselves, 
Peter  by  a  vision,  Paul  by  revela- 
tion, and  all  by  a  councd,  were 
gradually  or  wholly  emancipated 
from  the  old  error.  They  demanded 
for  their  new  disciples  exemption 
from  the  burdensome  ritual,  which 
neither  they  nor  tlieir  fathers  were 
able  to  bear.  Acts  xv.  10.  They 
said  that  nothing  which  God  had 
cleansed,  none  of  his  creatures,  chil- 
dren, should  be  pronounced  "com- 
mon or  unclean."  They  asserted 
that  all  national  distinctions  were 
sunk ;  Jew  and  Gentile,  bond  and 
free,  were  one,  occupied  the  same 
platform  ;  that  not  the  works  of  the 
law,  the  Jewish  ritual,  but  faith,  a 
moral  and  spiritual  principle,  justi- 
fied a  man;  that  circumcision  arid 
uncircumcision  availed  nothing,  but 
a  new  moral  creation  in  Christ ;  that 
tlie  Jew  would  not  be  saved  because 
he  was  a  Jew,  nor  the  Gentile  lost 
because  he  was  a  Gentile ;  but  both 
be  judged  by  the  faith,  the  disposition 
of  the  heart,  andthe  practice  of  the  life, 
sincere  and  corresponding  thereto. 

Such,  in  brief,  were  the  parties, 
such  the  contest.  And  he  will  read 
the  New  Testament  in  vain,  to  a 
certain  extent,  who  does  not  keep 
these  great  outlines  clearly  marked 
before  his  mind's  eye,  and  appreciate 
the  merits  of  this  controversy.  It  is 
the  only  key  to  the  difficult  Epistles 
of  Paul. 


XL] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


167 


Peter  was  come  up  to  Jerusalem,  they  that  were  of  the  circum- 

3  cision   contended    with    him,   saying,   Thou  wentest  in  to  men 

4  uncircumcised,  and  didst  eat  with  them. But  Peter  rehearsed 

the  matter  from  the  beginning,  and  expounded  it  by  order  unto 

5  them,  saying,  I  was  in  the  city  of  Joppa  praying :  and  in  a  trance 
I  saw  a  vision  ;  A  certain  vessel  descended,  as  it  had  been  a  great 
sheet,  let  down  from  heaven  by  four  corners ;  and  it  came  even 

6  to  me :  upon  the  which  when  I  had  fastened  mine  eyes,  I  con- 
sidered, and  saw  four-footed  beasts  of  the  earth,  and  wild  beasts, 

7  and  creeping  things,  and  fowls  of  the  air.     And  I  heard  a  voice 

8  saying  unto  me,  Arise,  Peter ;  slay,  and  eat.  But  I  said,  Not  so, 
Lord :  for  nothing  common  or  unclean  hath  at  any  time  entered 

9  into  my  mouth.     But  the  voice  answered  me  again  from  heaven, 
10  What  God  hath  cleansed,  that  call  not  thou  common.     And  this 


1.  The.  apostles  and  brethren.  Not 
only  the  private  disciples,  but  the 
apostles  themselves,  Avould  shrink 
from  tlie  bold  step  of  Peter  —  the 
admission  of  Gentiles  without  their 
coming  under  the  Jewish  yoke. 
They  had  already  heard,  by  many- 
tongued  rumor,  of  the  transactions  at 
Ccsarea.  —  In  Judea.  The  city  of 
Cesarea  was  in  tlie  land  of  Judea; 
but  since  it  was  essentially  peopled 
by  Gentiles,  it  might  stand,  as  sug- 
gested by  Calmet,  somewhat  in  con- 
teast  with  the  Holy  Land. 

2.  They  that  were  of  the  circum- 
cision contended  with  him ;  i.  e.  the 
Jewish  Christians  expostulated  with 
Peter  for  his  late  management  of  the 
case  of  Cornelius  and  his  Gentile 
friends.  The  news  had  flown  swifter 
than  the  apostle,  and  his  conduct 
was  already  prejudged,  and  a  verdict 
made  up  against  him.  The  brethren 
were  prepared,  as  soon  as  he  arrived, 
to  administer  their  rebuke  for  meas- 
ures which  tliey  regarded  not  only 
as  unauthorized,  but  subversive  of 
the  gospel.  The  apostle  was  re  idy, 
however,  to  meet  this  burst  of  indig- 
nation, and  he  judiciously  offered,  as 
his  best  defence,  a  simple  narrative, 
ver.  4  - 17,  of  the   whole   matter  ; 


which  would  not  excite  their  pas- 
sions, like  a  course  of  argument  or 
appeal,  and  would  furnish  them  with 
data  for  making  up  their  judgment 
without  bias.  The  fact  that  they 
thus  contended  with  Peter,  and  at 
first  questioned  the  wisdom  of  his 
proceedings,  shows  how  far  they 
were  from  yielding  him  tliat  su- 
premacy and  infallibility  in  all  re- 
spects, which  has  been  arrogated  by 
the  church  of  Rome,  not  only  for 
him,  but  for  the  long  and  irregular 
line  of  his  pretended  successors  in 
the  papal  chair.     Gal.  ii.  11  - 14. 

3.  tVentest  in  —  didst  eat  with 
than.  The  accusation  contained  two 
branches  ;  one,  that  he  went  els  a 
friend  into  the  house  of  Cornelius, 
and  the  other,  that  he  ate  with  the 
Gentiles  —  both  flagrant  offences  for 
a  Jew.     Compare  note  on  chap. x. 28. 

4.  Rehearsed  —  expounded  it  by 
order.  Or,  began  and  laid  it  before 
them  in  order.  He  gives  a  history 
of  the  Avhole  affair  from  beginning 
to  end,  with  all  the  minuteness  inci- 
dent to  tliat  simple  and  inartificial 
state  of  society  in  ivhich  Peter  and 
his  companions  had  been  brought  up. 

5-14.  See  an  exposition  of  this 
passage  in  the  notes  on  chap.  x.  9-  43. 


168 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


was  done  three  times :  and  all  were  drawn  up  again  into  heaven. 
And  behold,  immediately  there  were  three  men  already  come  il 
unto  the  house  where  I  was,  sent  from  Cesarea  unto  me.     And  12 
the  Spirit  bade  me  go  with  them,  nothing  doubting.     Moreover, 
these  six  brethren   accompanied  me,  and  we   entered  into  the 
man's  house :  and  he  showed  us  how  he  had  seen  an  angel  in  his  13 
house,  which  stood  and  said  unto  him,  Send  men  to  Joppa,  and 
call  for  Simon,  whose  surname  is  Peter ;    who  shall   tell   thee  14 
words,  whereby  thou  and  all  thy  house  shall  be  saved.     And  as  15 
I  began  to  speak,  the  Holy  Ghost  fell  on  them,  as  on  us  at  the 
beginning.      Then  remembered  I   the  word  of  the  Lord,  how  16 
that  he  said,  John  indeed  baptized  with  water ;   but  ye  shall  be 
baptized  with  the  Holy  Ghost.     Forasmuch  then  as  God  gave  17 
them  the  like  gift  as  he  did  unto  us,  who  believed  on  the  Lord 

Jesus  Christ,  what   was  I,  that  I   could   withstand  God  ? 

When  they  heard  these  things,  they  held  their  peace,  and  glori-  18 
fied  God,  saying,  Then  hath  God  also  to  the  Gentiles  granted 
repentance  unto  life. 


15,  16.  And  as  I  began  to  speak. 
Or,  as  rendered  by  Winer,  "  scarce- 
ly had  I  spoken  a  feAv  words,"  im- 
plying that  he  had  advanced  some- 
what in  his  discourse,  when  the  de- 
scent of  the  Spirit  took  place.  — 
Then  remembered  I,  8fc.  See  chap. 
i.  5,  and  note  thereon. 

17.  As  God  gave  them  the  like  gift. 
This  was  the  critical  point.  The 
gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit  showed  that 
they  were  accepted,  as  well  as  the 
Jews,  to  the  privileofes  of  Christiani- 
ty. —  What  was  T.  that  I  could  with- 
stand God  7  This  passage  has  great 
spirit,  as  rendered  by  Winer.  —  "  But 
I,  who  was  I  ?  was  I  powerful 
enough  to  hinder  God  ?  "  If  Peter 
admitted  Cornelius  and  his  kinsmen 
to  the  privileges  of  the  church  with- 
out circumcision,  he  would  resist  the 
current  belief  of  his  associates  ;  but 
if  he  refused,  he  would  assume  the 
more  tremendous  responsibility  of 
withstanding  God.  In  this  strait  be- 
tween two,  he  could  not  hesitate 
which  course  to  pursue. 


18.  They  held  their  peace.  They 
ceased  to  chide  Peter  for  a  neglect 
of  duty,  when  they  saw  how  plainly 
he  was  guided  by  the  finger  of  God. 

—  Gloried  God.  They  did  not 
merely  acquiesce  in  silence,  but  ex- 
hibited a  positive  gi-atification,  and 
expressed  their  thanks  to  God  for  his 
wonderful  interposition  in  behalf  of 
the  Gentiles.  A  glimpse  of  higher 
truth  beamed  upon  their  minds ;  tlie 
thrill  of  a  nobler  sentiment,  of  a 
universal  love,  stiixed  their  hearts. 
In  this  better  moment  of  fresh  con- 
viction, before  cold  calculation  and 
worldly  prudence  had  time  to  quench 
their  earnest  zeal,  they  praised  God 
that  Gentiles,  too,  had  come  to  taste 
the  divine  mercy.      Gal.  ii.  11  -14. 

—  Also.  This  word  would  possess 
greater  force  if  placed  after  "  Gen- 
tiles." —  Granted  repentance  unto  life. 
By  these  words  their  change  is  de- 
scribed from  Gentile  superstition  and 
sin  to  a  pure  religion.  It  is  "  an  ex- 
ample of  that  frequent  Scripture  use 
of  language  by  which  God  is  said 


XL] 


OP  THE  APOSTLES. 


19  Now  they  which  were  scattered  abroad  upon  the  persecution 
that  arose  about  Stephen,  travelled  as  far  as  Phenice,  and  Cyprus, 
and  Antioch,  preaching  the  word  to  none  but  unto  the  Jews  only. 

20  And  some  of  them  were  men  of  Cyprus  and  Cyrene,  which  when 


to  give  what  he  enables  one  to  attain, 
by  tlie  natural  or  moral  means  im- 
parted to  them."  The  Most  High 
had  communicated  to  them  that  rev- 
elation of  truth,  that  blessed  gospel 
of  light  and  love,  which  enjoined 
and  promoted  repentance  unto  life, 
not  to  be  repented  of.  Men  will  not 
be  sorry  for  what  they  have  been,  or 
Avhat  they  have  done,  until  they  have 
seen  something  better  and  holier, 
with  which  comparing  themselves, 
they  will  deplore  their  deficiencies, 
and  hasten  to  redeem  their  wasted 
time  and  talents.  The  gospel  pre- 
sents in  Christ  that  lofty  and  shining 
model  of  excellence,  which  of  itself 
deeply  rebukes  the  lowness  of  their 
virtues,  and  calls  on  them  to  repent 
and  live.  "  Repentance  unto  life  " 
is  a  combination  of  words,  descrip- 
tive of  those  three  great  stages  or 
processes  in  the  development  of  the 
soul's  life,  —  amendment,  —  prog- 
ress, —  and  blessedness. 

19.  The  persecution  that  arose 
about  Stephen.  Chap.  viii.  4.  The 
very  means  employed  to  annihilate 
the  nascent  church  only  served,  in 
the  good  providence  of  God,  to  dif- 
fuse more  widely  its  preachers  and 
its  truth,  and  put  it  forever  beyond 
the  power  of  man  to  extinguish  it. 
The  history  here  leaves,  for  the  most 
part,  the  land  of  Judea,  and  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel  to  the  Jews, 
and  records  henceforth  its  triumphs 
in  other  countries,  and  over  the 
Gentiles  ;  especially  under  the  influ- 
ence of  Paul,  the  chiefest  of  the 
apostles.  —  Phenice.  Phoenicia,  a 
narrow  strip  of  country,  extending 
along  the  shores  of  the  Mediterra- 
nean, between  Syria  and  Palestine. 
[t  was  distinguished  for  its  com- 
merce, and  contained  the  celebrated 
VOL.  III.  35 


cities  of  Tyre  and  Sidon,  besides 
several  others  of  some  note.  Mark 
iii.  8  ;  Acts  xxi.  3,  4,  xxvii.  3.  No 
doubt  many  Jews  were  resident  in 
these  great  commercial  emporiums. 
—  Cyprus.  See  note  on  chap.  iv. 
36.  —  Jlnt  ioch.  The  capital  of  Sy ri  a, 
situated  on  the  River  Orontes,  near 
its  mouth.  It  was  founded  by  Antig- 
onus,  one  of  the  generals  of  Alex- 
ander the  Great,  and  from  him  called 
Antigonia ;  but  afterwards  received 
the  name  of  Antioch,  from  AntiochuSy 
another  king  of  Syria,  Avho  completed 
it.  During  the  predominance  of  the 
Christian  religion,  it  was  called  The- 
opoKs,  the  divine  city.  It  was  rich, 
populous,  and  refined,  and  was  at 
one  period  accounted  the  next  city 
after  Rome,  and  Alexandria,  in  the 
Roman  empire.  Cicero  describes  it 
as  a  noble  and  celebrated  place, 
abounding  with  learned  men  and 
liberal  studies.  It  was  a  great  re- 
sort of  the  Jews,  and  afterwards  of 
Cliristians,  on  account  of  the  tolera- 
tion here  granted  to  different  reli- 
gionists. In  all  ages,  it  has  been 
exposed  to  those  terrific  enemies  of 
Oriental  cities,  wars  and  earthquakes. 
In  A.  D.  .588,  no  less  than  60,000 
persons  perished  in  an  earthquake; 
and  in  1822  it  was  reduced  to  a  heap 
of  ruins  by  the  same  tremendous 
agent.  Its  present  name  is  Antakia, 
and  it  numbers  about  10,000  inhab- 
itants. —  To  none  hut  unto  the  Jews 
only.  The  proceedings  of  Peter,  with 
relation  to  Cornelias,  had  not,  of 
course,  taken  place  when  the  dis- 
ciples fled  to  Antioch  ;  and  they 
therefore  still  restricted,  as  usual, 
their  labors  "to  the  lost  sheep  of  the 
house  of  Israel." 

20.  Men  of  Cyprus.    See  note  on 
chap.  iv.  3d  —  Cyrene.      Note  on 


170 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


they  were  come  to  Antioch,  spake  unto  the  Grecians,  preaching 
the  Lord  Jesus.     And  the  hand  of  the  Lord  was  with  them  :  ~i 
and    a    great    number    believed,    and    t»rned    unto    the    Lord. 
Then  tidings  of  these  things  came  unto  the  ears  of  the  church  2- 
which  was  in  Jerusalem :  and  they  sent  forth  Barnabas,  that  lie 


chap,  il  10.  One  of  the  Cyrenians 
is  called  Ludus  in  chap.  xiii.  1.  — 
Spake  unto  the  Grecians.  Or,  as  edited 
by  Griesbach  and  others,  "  Greeks." 
The  difference  is,  that  the  Grecians, 
or  Hellenists,  might  be  either  foreign 
Jews,  or  Gentile  proselytes  to  Juda- 
ism ;  whereas  it  is  supposed  that  the 
Greeks  or  Gentiles  are  here  meant, 
and  the  fact  is  stated  as  remarkable, 
and  gratitude  felt,  ver.  23,  that  the 
Gentiles  also  had  received  the  grace 
or  favor  of  God.  It  is  true,  that  most 
ancient  authorities  read  Grecians  or 
Hellenists,  not  Greeks  or  Gentiles; 
but  some  contain  tlie  latter  reading, 
and  internal  evidence  is  thought  to 
be  in  favor  of  it.  After  the  state- 
ment in  ver.  1 9,  that  the  go-pel  was 
preached  to  the  Jews  in  Antioch, 
and  of  course,  in  all  probability,  to 
tlie  Hellenists,  or  foreign  or  con- 
verted Jews,  chap.  vi.  1,  5,  the  wri- 
ter proceeds  to  say,  that  some  from 
Cyprus  and  Cyrene,  probably  after 
the  admission  of  Cornelius  and  his 
friends,  went  to  Antioch,  and  preach- 
ed to  the  Gentiles,  which  was  some- 
thing new.  The  example  of  Peter 
was  immediately  taken  up  and  acted 
upon ;  and  by  none  Avould  this  be 
more  likely  to  be  done  tlian  by  the 
Cyprians  and  Cyrenians,  who  from 
having  been  themselves  originally 
Gentiles,  or  living  among  the  Gen- 
tiles, would  feel  a  greater  sympathy 
with  the  degraded  heathen,  and  a 
more  resolute  spirit  in  recovering 
them  from  their  lost  condition. 

21.  The  hand  of  the  Lord.  Luke 
i.  66.  By  which  is  meant,  that  the 
power,  the  aid  of  God  accompanied 
them.  They  were  empowered  to 
work  miracles,  speak  with  tongues, 


invoke  the  descent  of  the  Spirit,  and 
show  incontrovertible  evidenct-  that 
they  were  the  teachers  of  a  heaven- 
sent religion.  The  consequence.'^ 
were  apparent.  —  A  great  number  be- 
lieved, 8{C.  Those  who  were  con- 
vinced of  the  truth,  passed  through 
the  two  necessary  steps  —  belief  and 
profession.  In  the  early  ages,  and 
in  all  ages,  it  is  not  enough  for  men 
to  believe ;  but  they  must  also  turn 
to  the  Lord,  make  an  open  decla- 
ration of  their  belief;  for  thus  only 
can  the  religion  of  Christ  advanc^^, 
by  tlie  avowed  convictions  and  the 
associated  action  of  his  disciples. 
Said  Jesus  to  Nicodemus,  "  Except  a 
man  be  bom  of  water  and  of  the  Spirit, 
he  cannot  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
God."  He  that  is  truly  a  Christian 
vn\\  desire  to  persuade  others  also  to 
become  Christians ;  and  to  that  end 
he  v/ill  declare  his  belief,  and  ob- 
serve the  outward  means  and  ordi- 
nances by  Avhich  it  is  nourished,  and 
"  adorn  the  doctrine "  by  a  useful 
and  holy  life. 

22.  The  church  ivhich  was  in  Je- 
rusalem. If  any  church  was  entitled 
to  arrogate  to  itself  peculiar  claims, 
and  assume  a  preeminence  over 
others,  it  would  seem  to  be  this ; 
which  might  be  said  to  be  planted 
by  the  Saviour  himself,  and  enjoyed 
the  care  of  not  one,  but  all  the  apos- 
tles. For  any  church,  however,  east- 
ern or  western,  Greek  or  Romish,  to 
attempt  to  lord  it  over  the  faith  of 
their  brethren,  is  an  eiTor  and  sin, 
only  pardonable  from  the  days  of 
darkness  and  of  despotism  in  which 
it  origimlly  arose  ;  but  which  to  re- 
peat, in  the  ninetoentli  century,  on  tlie 
part  of  every  little  offshoot  of  schism, 


XL] 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


171 


23  should  go  as  far  as  Antioch.  Who,  when  he  came,  and  had 
seen  the  grace  of  God,  was  glad,  and  exhorted  them  all,  that  with 

24.  purpose  of  heart  they  would  cleave  unto  the  Lord.  For  he  was 
a  ffood  man,  and  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  of  faith :  and  much 

25  people  was  added  unto  the  Lord.     Then  departed  Barnabas  to 

26  Tarsus,  for  to  seek  Saul :  and  when  he  had  found  him,  he 
brought  him  unto  Antioch.  And  it  came  to  pass,  that  a  whole 
year  they  assembled  themselves  with  the  church,  and  taught 
much  people.  And  the  disciples  were  called  Christians  first 
in  Antioch. 


every  mushroom  sect,  is  as  ridiculous 
as  it  is  wicked.  The  church  tliun- 
ders,  which  carry  a  certain  tone  of 
grandeur  when  launched  from  the 
Vatican,  become  contemptible  when 
flung  from  the  conventicles  of  yes- 
terday. —  They  sent  forth  Barnabas. 
Being  a  Hellenist,  chap.  iv.  36,  ix. 
27,  he  was  well  qualified  to  act  fa- 
vorably upon  the  Gentile  converts 
at  Antioch.  Besides,  the  contiguity 
of  Cyprus,  his  former  residence,  to 
Antioch,  had  perhaps  already  opened 
to  him  an  acquaintance  in  that  city. 

23.  The  grace  of  God,  i.  e.  his 
favor,  kindness,  in  admitting  the 
Gentiles  also  to  the  blessing-s  of  the 
Messiah's  kingfdom.  It  filled  the 
heart  of  Barnabas  with  joy,  that  the 
bands  of  Jewish  exclusiveness  were 
not  to  be  swathed  around  tlie  limbs 
of  the  infant  church  ;  but  that  it  was 
to  go  fortli  in  freedom,  to  win  the 
love  and  obedience  of  Jew  and  Gen- 
tile, bond  and  free.  —  With  purpose 
of  heart.  Or,  to  drop  the  idiom,  with 
hearty  purpose,  with  steady  and  earn- 
est determination,  to  adhere  to  the 
holy  cause  they  had  espoused. 

24,  25.  A  good  man,  ^c.  The 
several  distinguished  qualifications 
here  enumerated,  pointed  him  out  as 
a  fit  messenger  from  the  church  at 
Jerusalem  to  the  converts  of  Antioch. 
—  Much  people  ivas  added,  Sfc.  The 
natural  result  of  the  labors  of  so  good 
and  gifted  a  man;  though  it  might 


be  inferred,  from  chap.  xiv.  12,  that 
he  produced  the  effect  rather  by  the 
weight  of  his  character,  and  the  zeal 
of  his  efforts,  than  by  the  power  of 
his  preaching.  Simple,  earnest  good- 
ness, if  it  be  informed  and  vitalized 
by  a  spiritual  faith,  is  itself  more 
eloquent  than  words,  and  impreg- 
nates multitudes  of  minds  with  its 
own  life.  A  good  man  may  be  said 
to  have  a  magazine  of  spiritual  forces 
concentrated  in  himself,  which  are 
capable  of  acting  in  every  direction 
at  the  same  moment,  with  an  energy 
which  neither  time  nor  use  can  ex- 
haust. The  more  good  he  confers 
on  others,  the  more  grows  his  own 
goodness.  "Give,  and  it  shall  be 
given  unto  you ;  good  measure,  press- 
ed down,  and  shaken  together,  and 
running  over,  shall  men  give  into 
your  bosom."  —  To  Tai'sus.  The 
harvest  is  so  large,  and  the  reapers 
so  few,  that  Barnabas  travels  to  Tar- 
sus, the  city  of  Saul ;  whither  he  had 
gone  to  escape  the  machinations  of 
his  enemies,  chap.  ix.  29,  30,  in 
order  to  obtain  his  services  at  tiie 
important  post  of  Antioch. 

26.  A  ivhole  year.  The  great 
cities  of  the  East  were  important 
stations  for  the  establishment  of 
Christianity,  and  hence  we  find  that 
much  time  Avas  devoted  to  Antioch, 
Corinth,  Ephesus.  Chap,  xviii.  11, 
XX.  31 .  —  They  assembled,  i.  e.  for 
worship  and  preaching-.    Heb,  x.  25. 


172 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


And  in  these  days  came  prophets  from  Jerusalem  unto  An-  27 
tioch.     And  there  stood  up  one  of  them  named  Agabus,  and  28 


—  The  disciples  were  called  Christians 
first  in  Antioch.  This  remarkable 
fact  has  called  forth  a  variety  of 
questions,  as  to  the  origin  and  inten- 
tion of  the  name.  The  followers  of 
Christ  did  not,  probably,  themselves 
originate  this  designation ;  for,  both 
before  and  after  this  time,  they  went 
under  the  title  of  disciples,  chap.  i. 
15,  XX.  7;  believers,  chap.  v.  14,  1 
Tim.  iv.  12;  saints,  chap.  ix.  13, 
xxvi.  -10 ;  brethren,  chap.  vi.  3,  xxviii. 
14 ;  the  church,  chap.  ii.  47,  xv.  22 ; 
the  men  of  this  way,  chap.  ix.  2,  xxii. 
4.  Only  two  cases  besides  the  pres- 
ent occur,  in  the  New  Testament, 
where  the  word  Christian  is  used, 
and  in  one  of  those  it  is  employed  by 
Agrippa,  chap.  xxvi.  28,  and  in  the 
other  by  Peter,  as  if  it  were  a  term 
of  reproach,  used  by  enemies.  1 
Peter  iv.  16.  If  it  had  arisen  among 
the  disciples  themselves,  it  would 
naturally  have  been  more  generally 
used.  Again,  it  did  not  originate 
among  the  Jews,  for  they  preferred 
the  scornful  epithet  of  JVazarene, 
chap.  xxiv.  5 ;  or  Galileans,  chap, 
ii.  7  ;  and  if  they  had  called  the  dis- 
ciples by  the  name  of  Christ,  Mes- 
siah, they  might  have  been  regarded 
as  assenting  to  the  claims  of  Jesus 
to  that  distinguished  office.  And  the 
fact  that  the  Jews  did  not  apply  the 
name  of  Christians,  indicates  that  it 
was  not  a  title  of  contempt,  for  if  it 
had  been,  they  would  have  gladly 
appropriated  it  in  their  vocabulary 
of  abuse.  The  more  probable  sup- 
position, therefore,  is,  that  the  name 
arose  at  Antioch,  among  the  Gentile 
converts  to  Christianity,  or  their  pa- 
gan friends.  It  has  not  a  Greek,  but 
a  Roman,  ending ;  and,  it  is  likely, 
took  its  origin  among  that  portion  of 
the  population ;  for  Antioch  was  then 
under  subjection  to  Rome.  The  gen- 
eral custom  was  followed  by  Avhich 


disciples  were  called  from  their  mas- 
ters, as  Flatonists  from  Plato  ;  Aris- 
totelians from  Aristotle ;  Pythago- 
reans from  Pythagoras ;  Epicureans 
from  Epicurus.  That  the  name  was 
extensively  known  and  used,  is  evi- 
dent from  Tacitus,  the  Roman  his- 
torian, who  says  tliat  Nero  "  inflicted 
exquisite  punishment  upon  those  peo- 
ple who  were  commonly  known  by 
the  name  of  Christians.  They  had 
their  denomination  from  Christus, 
who,  in  the  reign  of  Tiberius,  Avas 
put  to  death  as  a  criminal  by  the 
procurator,  Pontius  Pilate."  It  has 
been  thought  by  some  that  the  word 
called  is  to  be  taken  in  a  sense  in 
which  it  is  sometimes  used,  of  called 
by  divine  appointment,  or  warned  by 
God.  Chap.  x.  22.  But  the  more 
rational  interpretation  is,  that  as  no 
special  revelation  was  needed,  none 
Avas  given,  and  that  the  word  has  the 
simple  sense  of  called,  as  in  Rom.  vii. 
3,  where  it  occurs.  It  is  unavoidable 
that  diiferent  denominations  should 
be  called  by  different  names,  to  dis- 
tinguish them  from  one  another ;  and 
the  evil  of  sectarianism  cannot  be 
cured  by  the  resumption  of  any  prim- 
itive title,  though  it  be  even  that  first 
given  to  the  disciples  at  Antioch,  as 
has  been  practically  demonstrated  at 
tlie  present  day,  in  the  use  of  this  very 
name.  On  the  contrary,  the  only 
remedy  for  tlie  present  belligerent  at- 
titude of  the  Christian  church  within 
itself,  and  the  civil  war  raging  among 
the  followers  of  tlie  Prince  of  Peace, 
is  the  wider  diffusion  of  Christian 
knowledge,  charity  and  piety,  and 
the  nearer  approach  of  the  disciples 
to  their  common  centre,  Christ,  which 
will  be  a  nearer  approximation  of  all 
the  diverging  lines  of  the  Christian 
brotherhood  to  one  another. 

27,  28.   In  these  days.     An  indefi- 
nite expression,  used  in  transitions 


XL] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


173 


signified  by  the  Spirit,  that  there  should  be  great  dearth  through- 
out all  the  world:   which  came  to  pass  in  the  days  of  Claudius 
2*J  Cesar.     Then  the  disciples,  every  man  according  to  his  ability, 
determined  to  send   relief  unto  the    brethren    which   dwelt  in 


from  one  event  to  another.  Mat  iii. 
1.  —  Prophets^  i.  e.  religious  teach- 
er's or  preachers,  who  were  also 
sometimes  gifted  with  a  knowledge 
of  future  events.  Rom.  xii. ;  1  Cor. 
xii.  xiv. ;  Eph.  ii.  20,  iii.  5,  11. — 
^fJs^abus.  Nothing  further  is  known 
of  this  individual  except  from  the 
present  passage  and  chap.  xxi.  10, 11. 
It  is  generally  inferred  that  he  was  a 
Ciiristian  disciple.  —  Sio^nijied  by  the 
Spirit  Or,  was  specially  informed 
by  a  divine  revelation.  It  Avas  an 
event  desirable  to  be  known  before- 
li  ind,  in  order  that  preparation  might 
be  made  against  the  necessities  of 
the  time.  —  Great  dearth,  i.  e.  a  se- 
vere famine.  The  prevailing  igno- 
rance of  agriculture,  the  desolation 
of  war,  and  the  want  of  facilities  of 
intercourse,  rendered  the  ancient  na- 
tions great  sufferers,  at  certain  peri- 
o  Is,  for  the  want  of  food.  —  Through- 
out all  the  world.  It  is  contended  by 
Lardner  and  other  critics,  with  much 
justice,  that  this  expression  here  sig- 
nifies, not  the  whole  habitable  earth, 
or  even  the  Roman  empire,  but  the 
country  nf  Judea.  Luke  iv,  25,  xxi. 
20.  Several  dreadful  famines  oc- 
curred about  this  period,  in  history,  in 
different  countries ;  but  the  one  in 
question  would  seem  to  be  limited  to 
.ludea,  for  the  brethren  in  Antioch, 
ver.  29,  determined  to  send  relief  to 
the  sufferers  there.  Rom.  xv.  26 ;  1 
Cor.  xvi.  ]  ;  2  Cor.  ix.  —  Which  came 
to  piss  in  the  days  of  Claudius  Ce- 
str.  Cesar  is  excluded  from  the 
text  by  Griesbach,  and  other  editors 
of  the  New  Testament,  as  umvorthy 
of  admittance.  In  the  reign  of  Clau- 
dius, emperor  of  Rome,  which  began 
A.  D.  40,  and  ended  A.  D.  53,  there 
occurred  no  less  than  four  famines, 
15* 


which  visited  various  countries :  the 
first  Italy,  the  second  Greece,  an- 
other Italy,  and  still  a  fourth  Judea. 
The  latter  began  about  A.  D.  44,  and 
continued  till  A.  D.  46.  Josephus 
relates  that  "  the  arrival  of  Helena, 
queen  of  Adiabenes,  at  Jerusalem, 
was  a  great  blessing  to  the  people ; 
for,  the  city  laboring  at  that  time 
under  a  heavy  famine,  so  that  a 
great  many  perished  for  want,  the 
queen  sent  abroad  several  of  her  offi- 
cers, some  to  Alexandria  for  the  pur- 
chase of  corn,  otliers  to  Cyprus  to 
buy  up  dried  figs.  These  having 
used  the  utmost  expedition,  as  soon 
as  they  returned,  she  distributed 
food  to  those  that  were  necessi- 
tous. By  this  liberality,  she  laid  a 
lasting  obligation  upon  our  whole 
nation.  Moreover,  her  son,  Izates, 
having  heard  of  the  famine,  sent  a 
large  sum  of  money  to  the  chief  men 
of  Jerusalem."  The  same  author 
also  states  that  this  famine  happened 
in  the  time  of  Cuspius  Fadus,  and 
his  successor,  Tiberius  Alexander; 
wliich  would  be  from  the  fourth  to 
the  fifth  and  sixth  year  of  the  reign  of 
Claudius,  and  from  A.  D.  44  to  A.  D. 
45  and  46.  While  the  queen  Helena 
and  her  son,  Jewish  proselytes,  re- 
lieved their  brethren  in  the  faith,  the 
Christians  also  were  not  forgotten  by 
their  more  fortunate  friends  of  Anti- 
och and  other  places. 

29.  The  disciples,  i.  e.  at  Antioch. 
They  are  still  designated  by  their 
former  title,  and  not  by  the  new  name 
of  ver.  26.  —  Send  relief  unto  tJie 
brethren,  Sfc.  This  shows  that  the 
distress  was  limited  to  Judea ;  else 
the  disciples  would  not  have  been 
able  to  yield  succor  to  those  at  a  dis- 
tance, but  would  have  been  absorbed 


in 


THE    ACTS 


[Chap. 


Judea.     Which  also  they  did,  and  sent  it  to  the  elders  by  the  30 
hands  of  Barnabas  and  Saul. 


in  their  own  calamities.  It  is  clear 
from  this,  in  connexion  with  other 
passages,  that  there  was  no  commu- 
nity of  goods  generally  prevailing  in 
the  Christian  churches ;  but  that  the 
ancient  landmarks  of  property  were 
still  unremoved,  except  by  the  en- 
larged and  generous  spirit  of  phi- 
lanthropy. In  the  generosity  and 
kind-heartedness  of  the  brethi-en  for 
one  another,  Ave  trace  the  germs  of 
that  philanthropy  which  has  in  every 
succeeding  age  borne  fruits  to  man 
and  praise  to  God,  and  which  is  yet 
to  spread  more  widely,  until  that  pe- 
riod of  peace  and  universal  benevo- 
lence shall  come,  which  is  the  burden 
of  prophecy  and  the  vision  of  hope  ; 

"  W^hen  tlie    hriglit  (;liain   of  love,  that  God 
hath  given, 
Extends  from  heart  to  heart,  and  thence  to 
heaven." 

30.  The  elders.  This  class  of 
persons  is  here  mentioned,  for  the 
first  time,  in  connexion  with  the 
Christian  church,  and  a  few  words 
will  be  proper  in  explanation.  Eld- 
ers were  officers  in  the  Jewish  com- 
monwealth, at  the  head  of  their  re- 
spective tribes,  in  accordance,  per- 
haps, with  earlier  patriarchal  usages, 
in  wliich  the  oldest  persons  bore  a 
species  of  unofficial  rule  on  account 
of  their  age,  experience  and  gravity. 
Moses  drew  these  to  his  aid  as  a  kind 
of  notional  council.  Ex.  iv.  2i),  xii. 
21,  xxiv.  1,  9 ;  Josh,  xxiii.  2.  The 
members  of  the  Sanhedrim  were  also 
called  elders,  and  likewise  tlie  ofHcers 
of  the  synagogue.  The  name,  there- 
fore, is  borrowed  from  the  Jewish 
people,  and  is  employed  by  the  New 
Testament  writers  as  an  old  term, 
applicable  to  the  new  state  of  things. 
Tlie  word  may  be  properly  trans- 
lated presbyters,  as  this  term  is  de- 


rived from  tlie  original  Greek  nQecr- 
^vreQoi.  It  is  probable  that  those 
thus  called  were  usually  wise  and 
aged  men,  whose  long-tried  experi- 
ence and  fidelity  pointed  them  out 
as  the  suitable  almoners  of  the  be- 
nevolent donations  for  the  poor,  and 
fitted  to  perform  other  religious  du- 
ties ;  rather  than  as  officers  filling  a 
certain  definitive  post,  and  constitut- 
ing one  essential  link  in  that  gra- 
dation of  principalities  and  powers, 
which  some  erroneously  deem  abso- 
lutely necessary  to  the  very  exist- 
ence of  a  Christian  church.  That  the 
elde7's  or  preshxfters  were  the  same  as, 
or  similar  to,  the  bishops  or  overseers, 
is  evident  from  Acts  xx.  17,  28 ;  Tit. 
i.  5,  7.  Such  is  tlie  view  of  Ham- 
mond, Robinson,  and  many  otiiers. 
The  use  of  the  term,  at  the  present 
day,  is  often  highly  inappropriate ; 
and  when  it  is  applied  to  the  young 
and  crude,  it  carries  with  it  no  seri- 
ous impression,  but  appears  almost 
like  a  burlesque  upon  sacred  things. 
To  designate  a  youthful  and  inex- 
perienced pastor  or  preacher  as  an 
elder,  is  in  bad  taste,  as  well  as  poor 
theology.  If  the  Scripture  title  is  to 
be  used,  let  it  be  applied  to  those  who 
are  elders  indeed,  and  are  clotlied 
with  the  venerableness  of  years  and 
gravity  of  character.  In  the  present 
case,  as  in  many  others,  incalculable 
harm  has  been  done  to  the  Bible, 
by  carrying  a  preconceived  theory 
into  its  interpretation,  and  measuring 
every  thing  by  this  self-constituted 
standard.  Rather  let  the  Scriptures 
speak  for  themselves  in  tlieir  OAvn 
beautiful  simplicity,  and  then  they 
will  speak  with  their  divine  power 
and  persuasiveness.  "  Spare  that 
book." 


XII.] 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


175 


CHAPTER   XII. 

The  Martyrdom  of  James,  Imprisonment  and  Rescue  of  Peter,  and  Death  of  Herod. 

J\0W   about  that  time,  Herod   the  king   stretched   forth   his 

2  hands  to  vex  certain  of  the  church.     And  he  killed  James  the 

3  brother  of  John  with  the  sword. And   because  he  saw  it 


CHAPTER  XII. 

1.  About  that  time.  The  chronol- 
ogy is  uncertain ;  but  it  is  supposed 
that  the  persecution  of  the  Christians, 
recorded  in  this  chapter,  occurred 
about  A.  D.  44.  —  Herod  the  king. 
This  was  Herod  Agrippa,  the  Elder, 
or  the  Great,  son  of  Aristobulus,  the 
son  of  Herod  the  Great  by  Mari- 
amne.  Aristobulus  was  put  to  death 
by  his  father,  through  jealousy  and 
court  cabals.  Herod  Agrippa  was 
educated  at  Rome,  where  he  con- 
tracted dissipated  and  extravagant 
habits,  in  the  luxurious  reign  of  Ti- 
berius. He  was  favored  by  the  suc- 
ceeding emperors,  Caius  Caligula 
and  Claudius  Cesar,  and  appointed 
king  over  the  territories  of  Batanea, 
Trachonitis,  Abilene,  Galilee,  Sama- 
ria, and  Judea  —  a  dominion  about  as 
extensive  as  that  of  Herod  the  Great, 
his  grandfather.  Archelaus,  Mat.  ii. 
22,  and  Herod  Antipas,  who  put  John 
the  Baptist  to  death,  were  his  uncles. 
Mat.  xiv.  1  - 12,  and  Herodias  was 
his  sister.  The  Agrippa  introduced 
in  chap.  xxv.  13,  and  also  Bernice, 
were  his  children.  He  ruled  seven 
years,  from  A.  D.  87  to  A.  D.  44. 
The  manner  of  his  death  is  related 
in  ver.  2-3.  —  Stretched  forth  his  hands. 
Or,  undertook,  or  proceeded,  with  vi- 
olence.—  To  vex.  Or,  to  do  evil  to, 
or  to  maltreat,  or  afflict. 

2.  He  killed  James,  ^t.  i.  e.  he  be- 
headed him.  There  were  f  mr  kinds 
of  capital  punishment  for  crimes 
among  the  Jews,  viz.,  beheading, 
stoning,  burning,  and  strangling. 
Killing  with  the  sword,  or  behead- 
ing, was  the  most  ignominious,  and 
constituted,  according  to   the   Tal- 


mud, the  appropriate  penalty  for  se- 
ducing the  people  to  a  false  worship. 
Crucifixion  was  a  Roman  mode  of 
punishment ;  but  stoning,  inflicted 
upon  Stephen,  and  beheading,  in  the 
present  instance,  were  Jewish  cus- 
toms. The  James  here  spoken  of 
was  called  James  the  Greater  in  con- 
tradistinction from  James  the  Less. 
He  was  the  son  of  Zebedee  and  Sa- 
lome, Mat.  xxvii.  56,  Mark  xv.  40, 
and  brother  of  John,  the  beloved  dis- 
ciple. Mat.  X.  2.  He  was  doubtless 
selected  as  being  one  of  the  most 
prominent  members  of  the  Christian 
body,  whose  loss  would  be  severely- 
felt.  That  cup,  which  his  Master 
had  predicted  would  be  given  him 
to  drink,  was  mixed  for  him  by  the 
sanguinary  Agrippa.  Mat.  xx.  23. 
Though  not  the  first  martyr  to  Chris- 
tianity, he  Avas  called  the  apostolic 
proto-martyr,  as  he  was  the  first  of 
the  twelve  who  sealed  his  fidelity 
with  his  blood.  It  is  related  by 
Clement  of  Alexandria,  though  the 
story  is  probably  legendary,  that  "  as 
the  apostle  Avas  led  forth  to  the  place 
of  execution,  the  person  who  had  ac- 
cused him  was  so  touched  with  the 
courage  and  constancy  which  he  dis- 
played, that  he  repented  of  Avhat  he 
had  done,  came  and  fell  down  at  his 
feet,  and  earnestly  begged  pardon  for 
what  he  had  said  against  him.  St. 
James  tenderly  raised  him  up,  kissed 
him,  and  said  to  him,  '  Peace  be  to 
thee,  my  son,  and  the  pardon  of  thy 
faults.'  At  this,  his  former  accuser 
publicly  professed  himself  a  Chris- 
tian, and  so  both  were  beheaded  at 
the  same  time." 
3.   Became  he  saw  it  phased  the 


176 


THE   ACTS 


[Chap. 


pleased  the  Jews,  he  proceeded  further  lo  take  Peter  also.    Then 
were  the  days  of  unleavened  bread.     And  when  he  had  appre-  4 
hended  him,  he  put  him  in   prison,  and  delivered  him  to  four 
quaternions  of  soldiers  to  keep  him ;   intending  after  Easter  to 


Jews.  The  character  of  Agrippa 
was  directly  the  reverse  of  his  grand- 
father, Herod  the  Great,  in  this  re- 
spect; for,  according  to  Joseplius, 
Herod  was  continually  obliging  for- 
eign states  and  cities  by  large  boun- 
ties, but  did  very  few  things  to  grati- 
fy the  Jews ;  "  whereas  Agrippa  was 
of  a  mild  and  gentle  disposition,  and 
good  to  all  men ;  he  was  beneficent 
to  strangers,  but  especially  kind  to 
the  Jews,  his  countrymen,  and  sym- 
pathized with  them  in  all  their  trou- 
bles. For  which  reason,  also,  he 
lived  much  at  Jerusalem,  observed 
the  Jewish  institutions,  practised  the 
purity  they  required,  and  did  not  let 
a  day  pass  Avithout  worshipping  God 
according  to  the  law."  Lardner  re- 
marks on  this,  that  "  his  zeal  for  the 
institutions  and  customs  of  the  Jews, 
and  his  desire  to  oblige  that  people, 
very  much  confirm  the  account  St. 
Luke  gives  of  his  forwardness  in 
persecuting  the  disciples  of  Jesus." 
Like  many  other  rulers,  he  was  ac- 
tuated by  a  love  of  popularity  more 
than  by  a  regard  to  the  right  and  the 
good,  and  was  willing  to  gratify  the 
people  in  their  likes  and  dislikes, 
tliough  at  the  expense  of  justice  and 
humanity.  —  Proceeded  further  to  take 
Peter  also.  He  aimed  his  blows  at 
the  chief  men,  thinking  thus  more 
readily  to  arrest  the  cause  of  Chris- 
tianity in  its  infancy.  His  success 
in  the  case  of  James  emboldened 
him  to  new  outrages.  —  The  days  of 
unleavened  bread,  i.  e.  the  Jewish 
Passover,  in  commemoration  of  the 
preservation  of  the  first-born  of  the 
Hebrews,  when  those  of  the  Egyp- 
tians were  cut  oflT  by  the  destroying 
angel ;  and  of  the  deliverance  from 
bondage.    It  was  kept  in  the  month 


Abib  or  Nisan,  corresponding  to 
our  April,  and  occupied  eight  days. 
From  the  circumstance  that  only  this 
kind  of  bread  was  eaten  during  this 
period,  it  was  entitled  "  the  feast  of 
unleavened  bread." 

4.  Four  quaternions  of  soldiers. 
A  quaternion  consisted  of  a  body  of 
four,  so  that  the  whole  number  was 
sixteen.  The  night  being  divided  by 
the  clepsydra,  or  water-clock,  into  four 
watches,  from  sunset  to  sunrise,  a 
company  of  four  men  was  required 
for  each  watch.  Two  were  in  the 
cell  itself,  and  connected,  as  is  sup- 
posed, to  Peter  by  chains,  so  that  he 
could  not  remove  Avithout  their  know- 
ing it ;  and  the  other  two  stood  sen- 
try before  the  door  of  the  cell  of  the 
prison.  There  was,  therefore,  the 
greatest  care  taken  to  guard  against 
an  escape,  and  every  hope  of  human 
relief  was  extinct.  But  doubtless 
the  deliverances  of  the  past  "vvere 
brought  to  mind,  and  experience  in- 
fused strength  into  faith.  Chap.  v. 
18-20.  —  Jlfter  Easter,  i.  e.  more 
correctly,  "•  after  the  Passover."  The 
present  festival  of  Easter,  as  ob- 
served by  part  of  the  Christian  world, 
was  not  then  established,  though  this 
translation  would  give  tlie  idea  that 
it  was  tlie  Christian,  and  not  the 
Jewish,  feast  to  which  Herod  paid 
regard.  Bede  says  "  that  Eostur- 
monath,  which  is  now  called  the  Pas- 
chal month,  had  its  name  from  a  god- 
dess called  Eosire,  and  to  whom  at 
that  time  they  used  to  celebrate  fes- 
tivals." This  Avas  a  goddess  wor- 
shipped by  the  Anglo-Saxons  before 
their  conversion  to  Christianity  ;  and 
hence,  after  their  profession  of  the 
gospel,  they  changed  their  old  idola- 
trous rite  into  a  celebration  of  tlie 


XII.] 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


177 


5  bring  him  forth  to  the  people.  Peter  tlierefore  was  kept  in 
prison :    but   prayer  was    made  without  ceasing  of  the   church 

G  unto  God  for  him. And  when  Herod  would  have  brought 

him  forth,  the  same  night  Peter  was  sleeping  between  two  sol- 
diers, bound  with  two  chains;   and  the  keepers  before  the  door 


resurrection  of  Christ,  which  occurred 
about  the  same  time  of  the  year.  As 
our  Lord  rose  three  days  after  his 
death,  which  occurred  on  the  next 
day  after  the  Paschal  supper,  East- 
er, among  Christians,  fell  at  the 
same  period  as  the  Passover  among 
the  Jews.  But,  as  observed  by  Dr. 
Clarke,  "Perhaps  there  never  was  a 
more  unhappy,  not  to  say  absurd 
translation.  Every  view  we  can  take 
of  this  subject  shows  the  gross  im- 
propriety of  retaining  a  name  every 
way  exceptionable,  and  palpably  ab- 
surd." The  circumstance  that  the 
translators  belonged  to  the  English 
Episcopal  church  led  them,  in  the 
present  case,  as  in  some  others,  to 
give  a  modern  and  partisan  dress 
to  the  simplicity  of  ancient  history. 
Herod  forbore  to  execute  Peter  dur- 
ing the  feast  of  Passover,  out  of  re- 
gard to  tlie  custom  of  the  Jews,  tliat 
criminals  should  not  suffer  at  that 
time ;  though  there  had  been  a  gross 
infraction  of  it  in  the  crucifixion  of 
Jesus.  —  Bring  him  forth  to  the  peo- 
ple, i.  e.  according  to  the  usage  of 
the  word,  "  to  put  him  to  death." 

5.  Prayer  was  made  without  ceas- 
ing. Or,  literally,  "  extended,"  and 
figuratively  "  intense,  fervent,"  prayer 
was  made  for  the  endangered  apos- 
tle. The  eminence  of  Peter,  and  the 
value  of  his  services  to  the  Christian 
cause,  naturally  awaken  the  liveliest 
sympathy  in  his  behalf.  As  all  hu- 
man aid  was  unavailing,  the  disciples 
resorted  to  Him  who  is  a  very  pres- 
ent help  in  time  of  trouble,  and  wlio 
is  mightier  tlian  the  miglitiest.  1 
Thes.  V.  25 ;  Heb.  xiii.  3,  18 ;  James 
V.  16.  They  had  full  confidence  in 
the  efficacy  of  intercessory  prayer, 


and  their  faith  \^as  not  disappointed. 
There  are  great  encouragements  held 
out  in  the  Scriptures  to  the  perform- 
ance of  this  duty  ;  and  none  who 
have  habitually  prayed  for  their 
friends,  have  probably  ever  doubted 
that  their  prayers  were  heard. 

().  IVould  have  brought  him  forth., 
i.  e.  for  execution.  —  The  same  night, 
i.  e.  the  night  before  tlie  proposed 
martyrdom.  —  Sleeping  between  two 
soldiers,  bound  with  two  chains,  &fc. 
Every  circumstance  is  thrown  into 
the  account,  to  show  how  impossible 
was  an  escape.  Peter  was  asleep, — 
the  sleep  of  conscious  virtue  and  of 
divine  trust,  —  and  had  no  concert 
with  any  friends  without  the  prison, 
whose  arrival  he  was  expecting,  and 
for  which  he  was  preparing.  He 
was  in  the  custody  of  sixteen  men, 
who  relieved  each  other  so  frequent- 
ly that  tliey  could  easily  remain  Avake- 
ful.  Four  men  were  on  guard  at 
once,  two  in  the  cell,  and  two  watch- 
ing the  door  without.  That  these 
men  should  all  be  buried  in  sleep  at 
the  same  time,  is  incredible.  They 
also  acted  under  the  fear  of  tlie  pen- 
alty of  death,  if  they  suffered  their 
prisoner  to  escape  ;  and  they  actually 
incurred  that  punishment,  as  Ave  learn 
from  ver.  19,  because  he  did  escape. 
The  apostles  had  been  delivered  be- 
fore, and  their  enemies  Avould  not  be 
likely  to  relax  any  of  their  regula- 
tions on  the  present  occasion,  but  to 
be  more  rigid  than  ever  in  all  their 
precautions.  Chap.  v.  19.  Such, 
we  infer,  was  in  fact  the  case ;  for 
while,  ordinarily,  a  prisoner  was  con- 
fined to  only  one  soldier  by  a  chain, 
in  this  case  the  apostle  was  bound  to 
two,  one  arm  to  each  respectively,  so 


178 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


kept  the  prison.     And  behold,  the  angel  of  the  Lord  came  upon  i 
hiniy  and  a  light  shined  in  the  prison  ;  and  he  smote  Peter  on  the 
side,  and  raised   him   up,  saying,  Arise  up   quickly.      And  his 
chains  fell  off  from  his  hands.     And  the  angel  said  unto  him,  8 
Gird  thyself,  and  bind  on  thy  sandals :  and  so  he  did.     And  he 
saith  unto  him,  Cast  thy  garment  about  thee,  and  follow  me. 


that  the  least  motion  on  his  part  would 
attract  the  notice  of  his  companions. 
Thus  we  see  that  every  possible  se- 
curity was  provided  to  prevent  an  es- 
cape. And,  considering  all  the  cir- 
cumstances, we  may  say,  without  ex- 
aggeration, that  no  human  force  could 
have  broken  into  the  prison  and  taken 
out  the  apostle.  The  theories  that 
have  been  invented,  to  account  for  his 
escape  in  a  natural  manner,  are  total- 
ly devoid  of  verisimilitude.  They 
endeavor  to  account  for  what  is  mi- 
raculous by  imagining  what  would 
be  more  than  miraculous,  and  require 
a  greater  credulity  to  believe.  To 
suppose  that  any  friends  could  have 
stolen  into  his  prison  from  without, 
eluded  the  sentinels  at  the  door,  en- 
tered his  cell  without  molestation,  re- 
moved his  chains  unknown  to  his  as- 
sociates, and  snatched  him  from  cus- 
tody, without  raising  an  alarm,  is  un- 
natural and  inconceivable.  It  would 
require  more  faith  to  believe  it,  than 
to  believe  in  the  truth  and  reality  of 
twenty  miracles  like  the  rescue  of 
Peter.  The  apostle  was  the  leading 
spirit  of  the  Twelve,  and  his  preser- 
vation from  imminent  danger  and 
death  was  an  object  deserving  the 
divine  interposition  —  "  dignus  vin- 
dice  nodus  "  —  a  difficulty  worthy  of 
such  a  solution. 

7.  The  angel  of  the  Lord.  By  an- 
gel, here,  some  understand  any  mes- 
senger, as  a  friend ;  or  any  method 
of  interposition  and  help,  as  an  earth- 
quake or  lightning ;  but  such  con- 
jectures in  reality  involve  the  ac- 
count in  far  greater  difficulties  than 
would  the  admission  of  angelic  and 
miraculous   interference,  as   usually 


understood.  It  is  harder  to  believe 
that  any  associate  or  friend  of  the 
prisoner  could  penetrate  that  close- 
ly-guarded cell,  and  free  Peter  with- 
out the  knowledge  of  the  sentinels, 
or  that  the  lightning  could  melt  off 
his  chains,  and  break  open  the  doors, 
without  harm  either  to  Peter  or  the 
guard,  than  to  assent  to  a  miraculous 
interposition.  —  Came  upon  him.  Or, 
stood  by  him.  —  ^  light  shined  in  the 
prison.  Those  that  love  to  account 
for  every  remarkable  event  in  the 
Scriptures  in  a  natural  way,  conjec- 
ture that,  in  this  case,  it  lightened. 
But  it  is  Avonderful  that  others  were 
not  also  aroused  by  the  explosion,  if 
such  were  the  fact.  While,  on  the 
other  hand,  light  and  splendid  ap- 
pearances are  the  frequent  accompa- 
niments of  miraculous  events.  Luke 
ii.  9 ;  Acts  ix.  3.  —  Sm^te,  i.  e.  gen- 
tly, so  as  to  arouse  him.  —  His  chains 
fell  off  from  his  hands.  The  chains, 
with  which  he  was  bound  with  the 
right  and  left  hand  to  each  soldier, 
respectively.  No  art  of  man  could 
have  freed  him  from  these  manacles 
without  the  knowledge  of  his  guard. 
And  that  the  lightning  should  have 
discriminated  so  far  as  to  melt  his 
chains  without  injuring  him  or  the 
soldiers;  and  that  it  should  have 
awakened  him,  but  not  them ;  or 
stunned  the  four  inside  and  outside, 
without  further  damage  to  them,  — 
is  next  to  a  miracle,  if  it  be  not  one 
itself. 

8,  9.  Gird  thyself  i.  e.  gird  the  in- 
ner garment  or  tunic,  which  in  sleep, 
or  when  unoccupied,  the  Orientals 
are  accustomed  to  unloose  for  great- 
er ease  and  comfort  —  Bind  on  thy 


XII.1 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


179 


9  And  he  went  out,  and  followed  him.  and  wist  not  that  it  was  true 
which   was  done  by  the  augel ;    but  thought  he  saw  a  vision. 

10  When  they  were  past  the  first  and  the  second  ward,  they  came 
unto  the  iron  gate  that  leadeth  unto  the  city ;  which  opened  to 
them  of  his  own  accord  :  and  they  went  out,  and  passed  on 
through  one  street ;   and  forthwith  the  angel  departed  from  him. 

11  And  when  Peter  was  come  to  himself,  he  said,  Now  I  know  of  a 
surety,  that  the  Lord  hath  sent  his  angel,  and  hath  delivered  me  out 
of  the  hand  of  Herod,  and  from  all  the  expectation  of  the  people 

12  of  the  Jews.  And  when  he  had  considered  the  thing,  he  came  to 
the  house  of  Mary  the  mother  of  John,  whose  surname  was  Mark ; 


sandals.  Which  were  simply  soles, 
laced  to  the  feet  and  ankles  with 
thongs.  —  Cast  thy  garment  about 
thee,  i.  e.  put  on  the  mantle  or  outer 
garment  with  which  the  whole  body 
is  invested,  and  which  is  laid  aside 
at  night.  The  several  directions, 
relative  to  his  dress,  convey  one  in- 
teresting idea,  viz.,  the  self-possession 
and  repose  of  mind,  and  sense  of  se- 
curity, exhibited  by  the  angel,  and  en- 
joined indirectly  upon  Peter.  There 
was  no  occasion  to  fear  —  he  was 
under  a  divine  protector.  —  JVist  not. 
Oil  English  for  knew  not.  — Thought 
he  saw  a  vision.  Awakened,  as  he 
was,  out  of  sleep  at  dead  of  night, 
wholly  unexpectedly  to  himself,  and 
miraculously  freed  from  his  chains 
and  confinement,  it  was  perfectly 
natural  that  he  should  be  in  a  man- 
ner bewildered,  and  hardly  be  able 
to  determine  whether  the  scene  was 
roil  or  not,  but  should  be  inclined 
to  think  that  it  was  a  visionary  rep- 
resent-ition. 

10,  Thefrst  and  the  second  ward. 
'<■,  "  guard,"  referring  to  the  soldiers 
^t^nding  on  sentry,  at  different  posts. 
—  The  iron  gate,  i.  e.  probably  cov- 
ered with  iron  plates,  as  is  customary 
at  the  present  day.  —  That  leadeth 
uaio  the  city.  The  situation  of  the 
prison  is  unknown,  but  it  h  ss  been 
conjectured  that  it  was  located  in  a 
tower  in  tlie  wall  of  the  city,  and 


that  this  iron  gate  led  from  the  prison 
into  the  street  of  the  town.  —  Which 
opened  to  them  of  his  own  accord.  Or, 
grammatically,  of  its  own  accord, 
1.  e.  self-moved.  The  idea  is,  tliat  it 
opened  without  any  human  instru- 
mentality. Every  item  in  the  de- 
scription indicates  supernatural  in- 
terposition. —  Passed  on  through  one 
street,  ^/c.  The  angel  conducted  him 
as  far  as  was  necessary  for  safety, 
and  then  left  him  to  his  own  efforts ; 
Avhereas,  had  it  been  a  human  friend, 
he  would  probably  have  accompanied 
him  to  some  place  of  safety,  or  the 
house  of  an  acquaintance. 

11.  When  Peter  was  come  to  him- 
sef.  Or,  had  recovered  his  conscious- 
ness. The  fact  that  he  was  in  a 
state  of  bewilderment  for  a  time, 
does  not  diminish  the  probability  of 
a  real  interposition,  or  cast  discredit 
on  his  evidence,  but  rather  the  con- 
trary, since  he  candidly  acknowl- 
edged precisely  what  was  his  state. 
—  From  all  the  expectation,  S^'c.  It 
appears  that  the  Jews  earnestly  de- 
sired the  death  of  the  apostle,  and 
that  Herod  was  about  to  put  his  pris- 
oner to  death  to  gratify  their  san- 
guinary disposition. 

12.  He  came  to  the  house  of  Mary. 
The  community  of  goods  related  in 
chap.  ii.  44,  4.5,  was  not  of  such  a 
nature  tliat  all  parted  with  their 
houses  and  goods,  as  is  evident  from 


180 


THE   ACTS 


[Chap. 


where  many  were  gathered   together,  praying.     And  as  Peter  13 
knocked  at  the  door  of  the   gate,  a  damsel    came  to  hearken, 
p'.Ded  Rhoda.     And  when  she  knew  Peter's  voice,  she  opened  14 
)Gt  the  gate  for  gladness,  but  ran  in,  and  told  how  Peter  stood 
before  the  gate.     And  they  said  unto  her,  Thou  art  mad.     But  15 
she  constantly  affirmed  that  it  was  even  so.     Then  said  they,  It 
is  his  angel.     But  Peter  continued  knocking.     And  when  they  16 


the  present  passage.  Mary  was  the 
sister  of  Barnabas.  Col.  iv.  10. — 
John,  whose  surname  ivas  Mark.  This 
■■■•'<  Mark  the  Evangelist.  He  ac- 
apanied  Paul  and  Barnabas  in 
ne  of  their  missionary  excursions, 
lud,  as  is  supposed,  wrote  his  Gospel 
at  the  instigation  and  with  the  aid 
of  Peter.  —  Many  were  gathered  to- 
gether praying,  i.  e.  for  the  release 
of  the  apostle.  Ver.  5.  Though  he 
was  in  the  extremity  of  danger,  they 
did  not  despair  of  the  aid  of  Heaven 
in  his  behalf  In  times  of  peril,  it 
was  customary  for  the  disciples  to 
hold  religious  exercises  in  the  night. 
Thus  Pliny  spoke  of  their  assemblies 
in  the  night,  and  others  brought 
their  night-meetings  as  an  accusa- 
tion against  the  Christians. 

13,  14.  Knocked  at  the  door  of  the 
gate.  Or,  the  door  of  the  porch  or 
vestibule.  —  Came  to  hearken.  It  was 
a  time  of  persecution  and  terror,  and 
the  Christians  naturally  took  pre- 
cautions to  guard  against  any  sur- 
prise from  their  enemies.  It  was 
customary,  however,  at  all  times,  for 
tlie  person  calling  without  to  men- 
tion his  name  to  tlie  porter  within  the 
house.  —  Rhoda.  Which  signifies, 
in  Greek,  "a  rose."  Grotius  ob- 
serves, that  the  Orientals  gave  the 
names  of  flowers  to  their  daughters, 
as  Susanna,  a  lily,  and  Hadessa,  a 
myrtle,  &c.  —  Opened  not  the  gate 
for  gladness.  There  is  great  natu- 
ralness intliis  stroke  of  the  historian, 
such  as  a  fictitious  writer  would 
have  hardly  imagined.  Her  joy,  in- 
stead of  leading  lier  to  admit  Peter 


instantly,  as  would  seem  to  be  the 
spontaneous  dictate,  impelled  her 
first  to  gladden  the  company  with 
the  joyful  news  of  his  escape. 

15.  It  is  his  angel.  By  this  is 
understood  by  some  a  messenger 
sent  from  Peter,  or  a  friend  who  had 
brought  a  message  from  him ;  but 
the  more  general  and  probable  opin- 
ion is,  that  it  was  regarded  as  his 
tutelary  angel  or  guardian  spirit,  ac- 
cording to  the  popular  superstitions 
of  the  Eastern  nations,  in  which  the 
disciples  no  doubt  shared  Avith  the 
rest  of  their  countrymen.  Mat  xviii. 
10.  In  addition  to  this  idea,  it  was 
also  supposed  that  an  angel  would 
assume  the  voice  and  figure  of  the 
individual  whom  he  represented, 
after  his  decease.  The  popular  im- 
pression upon  this  subject  would  be 
heightened  by  the  fact  of  the  im- 
probability of  Peter's  liberation  from 
prison,  and  by  the  natural  astonish- 
ment into  which  they  were  thrown  by 
his  sudden  appearance.  As  remark- 
ed by  Doddridge  and  Newcome, 
"  A  Jewish  opinion  about  guardian 
angels,  or  the  souls  of  men  converted 
into  ministering  spirits,  may  be  here 
referred  to,  without  establishing  its 
truth." 

16.  Saw  him.  "  Seen  him  "  would 
be  the  proper  translation,  to  corre- 
spond with  the  pluperfect  tense  of 
the  " foregoing  verb,  "had  opened." 
—  They  were  astonished.  Hence  it 
appears,  they  had  entered  into  no 
conspiracy  to  free  the  apostle;  and 
thoup-h  they  prayed  most  fervently 
tliat  he  migiit  be  delivered,  yet  they 


XII.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


181 


17  had  opened  the  door^  and  saw  him,  they  were  astonished.  But 
he,  beckoning  unto  them  with  the  hand  to  hold  their  peace, 
declared  unto  them  how  the  Lord  had  brought  him  out  of  the 
prison.  And  he  said,  Go  show  these  things  unto  James,  and  to 
the  brethren.     And  he  departed,  and  went  into  another  place. 

18 Now  as  soon  as  it  was  day,  there  was  no  small  stir  among 

19  the  soldiers,  what  was  become  of  Peter.  And  when  Herod  had 
sought  for  him,  and  found  him  not,  he  examined  the  keepers,  and 
commanded  that  they  should  be  put  to  death.  And  he  went 
down  from  Judea  to  Cesarea,  and  there  abode. 


had  so  little  hope  and  faith,  that 
they  could  hardly  believe  their  own 
senses,  when  their  prayers  were  an- 
swered. 

17.  Beckoning  unto  them  with  the 
hand.  Or,  as  Bloomfield  says, "  Wav- 
ing the  hand  downwards,"  to  enjoin 
silence.  He  feared  lest,  if  they 
made  an  outcry,  tiie  Jews  would  be 
alarmed,  and  his  escape  be  discov- 
ered before  he  could  flee  to  a  place  of 
security.  —  Hoiv  the  Lord  had  brought 
him,  ^c.  He  regarded  his  deliver- 
ance as  miraculous.  "  How  vain  is 
the  power  of  man  when  opposed  to 
that  of  God !  Peter  is  seized  by 
order  of  the  king;  he  is  enclosed 
within  a  triple  wall ;  he  is  watched 
by  more  than  a  usual  number  of 
guards,  and  he  is  fastened  by  a  chain 
to  his  keepers :  but  all  these  pre- 
cautions are  to  no  purpose,  and  had 
they  been  multiplied  tenfold,  they 
would  have  been  equally  ineffectual. 
The  chains  dropped  from  his  hands  ; 
the  keepers  are  thrown  into  a  deep 
sleep,  and  the  iron  gates  open  of 
their  own  accord.  Vain  is  the  con- 
test between  an  arm  of  flesh  and  the 
arm  of  Omnipotence !  All  strength 
is  His ;  the  powers  of  nature  are 
only  his  energy;  let  not  mortals, 
however  exalted,  dare  to  oppose  his 
councils."  Kenrick. —  Unto  James. 
This  was  James  the  Less,  so  called, 
as  James  the  Elder  or  Greater  had 
been  put  to  death.     Ver.  2.     He  was 

VOL.    III.  IQ 


the  son  of  Alpheus  and  Mary ;  "  the 
brother,"  or  cousin  of  our  Lord,  the 
author  of  the  epistle  by  his  name, 
and  the  president  or  bishop  of  the 
church  at  Jerusalem.  See  Mat.  x. 
3 ;  Mark  xv.  40 ;  Acts  xv.  13,  22 ; 
Gal.  i.  19,  ii.  12.  Peter  directs  them 
to  inform  James,  as  being  the  leading 
officer  in  the  church.  —  To  the  breth- 
ren. Many  were  probably  elsewhere 
supplicating  Heaven  in  behalf  of  tlieir 
doomed  friend.  The  ardent  nature 
of  Peter,  independently  of  the  com- 
mon ties  of  Christian  brotherhood, 
had  knit  many  souls  in  closest  affec- 
tion to  himself.  They  prayed  not 
only  for  Peter  the  apostle,  but  for 
Peter  the  beloved.  —  Went  into  an- 
other place.  Whither  is  unknown. 
Cesarea,  Rome,  and  other  places,  are 
conjectured,  by  various  critics  re- 
spectively. Antioch  is  as  probable 
as  any  one,  since  we  find  him  there 
in  Gal.  ii.  11,  and  back  again  at  Je- 
rusalem in  Acts  XV.  7. 

18.  Jls  soon  as  it  ivas  day.  The 
guard  continued  asleep  till  morning, 
and  then  first  discovered  the  escape 
of  their  prisoner.  —  JVb  small  stir 
among  the  soldiers.  They  knew  well 
the  severity  of  military  discipline, 
and  shrank  from  the  terrible  penalty 
which  threatened  them. 

19.  Sought  for  him  —  examined  the 
keepers.  He  took  two  measures 
to  regain  his  prisoner  —  a  general 
search,  and  a  particular  examination 


182 


THE   ACTS 


[Chap. 


And    Herod   was    highly  displeased   with  them  of  Tyre   and  20 
Sidon.     But   they  came  with   one   accord   to  him,    and  having 
made  Blastus  the  king's  chamberlain  their  friend,  desired  peace, 
because  their   country   was    nourished    by   the    king's   country. 


of  the  sentinels.  —  That  they  should 
he  -put  to  death.  Literally,  "led 
forth ; "  by  which  is  meant,  accord- 
ing to  an  idiom,  led  forth  to  die.  It 
was  customary  to  inflict  a  severe  pun- 
ishment, usually  death,  upon  guards 
who  suffered  a  prisoner,  committed 
to  their  keeping,  to  escape;  or  the 
same  penalty  was  imposed  upon  the 
keepers  as  would  have  been  exacted 
of  tiie  prisoner  who  had  fled.  Her- 
od, in  the  present  case,  had  no  be- 
lief in  a  miracle  being  wrought;  or, 
if  he  had,  labored  to  make  an  oj^po- 
site  impression  upon  the  public  ;  and 
therefore  held  the  soldiers  strictly 
accountable,  and  treated  them  as  if 
Peter  had  escaped  by  their  conni- 
vance or  assistance  ;  —  unhappy  vic- 
tims of  a  tyrant's  displeasure!  His  pas- 
sions were  disappointed  of  their  grat- 
ification in  putting  the  holy  apostle 
to  death,  and  he  wreaks  his  insane 
anger  upon  the  innocent  tools  of  his 
own  power  I  It  Avas  time  that  Heaven 
should  move,  in  its  might,  and  sweep 
such  a  pest  from  the  face  of  the 
earth.  —  To  Cesarea,  and  there  abode. 
This  city  became  the  head-quarters 
of  Roman  splendor  and  idolatry  in 
Judea,  and  the  rulers  of  the  country 
oflen  made  it  their  abode.  Chap. 
XXV.  1,  4.  The  particular  object  of 
Herod  at  this  time  is  related  by  Jo- 
sephus,  in  his  Antiquities,  who  gives, 
throughout  this  passage  of  history, 
important  corroborations  of  tlie  nar- 
rative of  Luke.  "  Having  now  reign- 
ed three  whole  years  over  all  Judea, 
he  went  to  the  city  Cesarea,  former- 
ly called  Strato's  Tower.  Here  he 
celebrated  shows  in  honor  of  Cesar, 
a  festival  having  been  appointed  to 
be  observed  there  at  this  time  for  his 
safety.     On  this  occasion,  there  was 


a  vast  resort  of  persons  of  rank  and 
distinction,  from  all  parts  of  the 
country."  The  king  remained  there 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  soon 
afterwards. 

^0.  ff'as  highly  displeased.  This 
is  one  word  in  Greek,  and  signifies 
"bore  a  hostile  mind,"  or,  "intended 
war."  Agrippa  could  not  actually 
make  war  upon  these  cities,  for  he 
and  they  were  alike  under  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  Romans,  who  would 
permit  no  hostilities  among  their  com- 
mon vassals.  But  he  was  probably 
incensed  at  some  collision  between 
the  commercial  interests  of  Tyre  and 
Sidon,  and  his  oAvn  city  of  Cesarea, 
and  opportunities  were  doubtless 
open,  if  not  for  direct  war,  yet  for  the 
infliction  of  serious  injuries  upon  the 
Phcenician  cities  ;  for  they  depended 
chiefly  upon  their  maritime  and  man- 
ufacturing resources  for  prosperity, 
and  looked  to  Galilee  and  Judea  for 
their  bread  stuffs.  Any  interruption  of 
trade,  tlierefore,  would  prove  detri- 
mental to  their  interests.  —  Came 
with  one  accord,  i.  e.  ambassadors 
came  conjointly  from  both  cities. 
Tyre  and  Sidon.  It  was  a  matter 
that  affected  the  interests  of  both 
places.  —  Having  made  Blastus,  8{c. 
Having  prevailed  Avith  Blastus  for 
his  intercession  with  Herod,  as  he 
Avas  a  chamberlain,  or  master  of  the 
king's  bed-chamber;  an  oflicer  high 
in  authority  and  influence,  as  was 
usual  for  persons  occupying  that  post 
in  a  royal  court.  —  Desired  peace. 
Not  that  there  was  Avar  before,  but 
they  Avished  for  a  settlement  of  the 
existing  difficulties.  —  Because  their 
countnj  was  nourished,  S»-c.,  i.  e.  they 
Avere  dependent  upon  the  territories 
of  Herod  for  their  grain ;  a  species 


XII.] 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


183 


21  And  upon  a  set  day,  Herod,  arrayed  in  royal  apparel,  sat  upon 

22  his  throne,  and  made  an  oration  unto  them.     And  the  people 
gave  a  shout,  saying,  It  is  the  voice  of  a  god,  and  not  of  a  man. 

23  And  immediately  the  angel  of  the  Lord  smote  him,  because  he 
gave  not  God  the  glory  :    and  he  was  eaten  of  worms,  and  gave 


of  trade  wliich  they  had  carried  on 
from  very  early  times  with  Palestine. 
1  Kings  v.  9,  11 ;  Ezra  iii.  7 ;  Ezek. 
xxvii.  17.  Notliing  is  related  in  Jo- 
sephns,  or  any  other  historian  of  that 
period,  of  the  animosity  of  Herod  to 
the  Phoenicians,  as  it  was  not  per- 
haps of  much  moment,  compared  with 
many  occuiTcnces  of  the  times.  But 
it  is  appropriately  introduced  by 
Luke,  as  explaining  the  occasion  on 
which  the  adulation  of  the  people 
was  paid  to  the  king  as  to  a  god. 

21-23.  And  upon  a  set  day,  S^-c. 
The  account  of  the  death  of  Herod, 
by  Josephus,  corresponds  so  well 
with  that  here  given  by  Luke,  that  it 
will  be  proper  to  give  it  in  full.  "  On 
tlie  second  day  of  the  shows,  early 
in  the  morning,  he  came  into  tlie 
theatre,  dressed  in  a  robe  of  silver, 
of  most  curious  workmanship.  The 
rays  of  the  rising  sun,  reflected  from 
so  splendid  a  garb,  gave  him  a  ma- 
jestic and  awful  appearance.  In  a 
short  time  they  began,  in  several 
parts  of  the  theatre,  flattering  accla- 
mations, Avhich  proved  pernicious  to 
him.  They  called  him  a  god,  and 
entreated  him  to  be  propitious  to 
them,  saying,  '  Hitherto  we  have  re- 
spected you  as  a  man ;  but  now  we 
acknowledge  you  to  be  more  than 
mortal.'  The  king  neither  reproved 
these  persons,  nor  rejected  the  im- 
pious flattery.  Soon  after  this,  cast- 
ing his  ey^^s  upwards,  he  saw  an  owl 
sitting  upon  a  certain  cord  over  his 
head.  He  perceived  it  to  be  a  mes- 
senger of  evil  to  him,  as  it  had  been 
before  (according  to  a  German  sooth- 
sayer, when  he  was  imprisoned  by 
Tiberius)  of  his  prosperity,  and  was 
struck   with    the    deepest    concern. 


Immediately  after  this  he  was  seized 
with  pain  in  his  bowels,  extremely 
violent  at  the  very  first.  Then,  turn- 
ing himself  toward  his  friends,  he 
spoke  to  them  in  this  manner :  '  I, 
your  god,  am  required  to  leave  this 
Avorld  — fate  instantly  confuting  these 
false  applauses  just  bestowed  upon 
me  ;  I,  who  have  been  called  im- 
mortal, am  hurried  away  to  death. 
But  God's  appointment  must  be  sub- 
mitted to.  Nor  has  our  condition  in 
this  world  been  despicable  ;  Ave  have 
lived  in  the  state  which  is  accounted 
happy.'  While  he  was  speaking 
these  words,  he  was  oppressed  with 
the  increase  of  his  pains.  He  was 
carried,  therefore,  with  all  haste  to 
his  palace.  These  pains  in  his  bow- 
els continually  tormenting  him,  he 
expired  in  five  days'  time,  in  the 
fifty-fourth  year  of  his  age,  and  of 
his  reign  the  seventh."  The  cor- 
respondences between  this  account 
and  the  briefer  narrative  of  Luke 
are  numerous  and  striking,  while  the 
differences  also  bear  witness  to  their 
independence  and  truth.  (1.)  Both 
assign  Cesarea  as  the  place  of  Her- 
od's death.  (2.)  Luke  speaks  of  a 
sot  day ;  Josephus  styles  it  the  sec- 
oml  day  of  the  shows.  (-3.)  They 
agree  respecting  the  splendor  of 
the  kini^'s  dress,  one  giving  a  mi- 
nute, and  the  other  a  general,  de- 
scription of  it  (4.)  Luke  says,  he 
sit  upon  his  throne,  and  made  an 
oration  ;  the  JoAvish  historian  repre- 
sents him  going  to  the  theatre,  to 
preside  over  the  sIioaa^s,  AA'here,  prob- 
ably, a  kind  of  throne  Avas  erected 
for  the  convenience  of  the  monarch. 
(5.)  Luke  apparently  attributes  the 
impious  flittcry  of  the  people  to  their 


iM 


THE   ACTS 


[Chap. 


up  the  ghost. 


But  the  word  of  God  grew  and   multiplied.  24 


And   Barnabas  and  Saul  returned  from   Jerusalem,  when  they  25 
had   fulfilled  their  ministry,  and  took  with  them  John,  whose 
surname  was  Mark. 


satisfaction  with  his  speech,  while 
Josephus  introduces  it  directly  after 
his  account  of  the  majesty  and  splen- 
dor of  his  apparel ;  but  both  causes 
might  have  contributed  to  produce  it 
(6.)  Both  represent  him  as  receiving 
without  rebuke  the  blasphemous  ad- 
ulation of  the  people.  (7.)  Botli  har- 
monize essentially  respecting  his  dis- 
ease, both  as  to  its  cause  as  a  judg- 
ment of  Heaven  against  his  impiety, 
and  as  to  its  nature,  as  loathsome 
and  agonizing;  though  it  has  been 
observed,  Luke,  supposed  to  be  a 
physician,  Col.  iv.  14,  describes  the 
symptoms,  while  Josephus  states  re- 
sults. —  It  is  the  voice  of  a  god.  By 
which  is  to  be  understood  the  term, 
in  that  subsidiary  sense,  common 
among  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  who 
had  many  divinities  in  their  my- 
tliology.  —  The  angel  of  the  Lord 
smote  him.  By  this  is  indicated  a 
special  interposition,  or  judgment 
from  God,  described  in  terms  com- 
mon among  the  Jews.  Ex.  xii. 
27 ;  2  Sam.  xxiv.  16.  —  Because  he 
gave  not  God  the  glory.  Josephus 
assigns  the  same  cause  of  his  dis- 
ease and  death  essentially,  tliough 
not  in  direct  terms ;  for  he  says  the 
acclamations  proved  pernicious  to 
him,  and  that  the  king  neither  re- 
proved these  persons  nor  rejected  the 
impious  flattery.  —  He  ims  eaten  of 
ivorms.  What  his  disorder  was,  is 
matter  of  conjecture,  though  it  Avould 
appear  to  be  the  same  as  that  with 
which  Antiochus  Epiphanes  is  said  to 
have  died,  which  is  described  in  2 
Mac.  ix.  5;  also  Herod  the  Great 
and  Maximinian.  It  was  a  most 
hideous  and  painful  disease,  in  Avhich 
the  flesh  became  putrefied,  and  worms 
came  forth  as  from  tlie  body  of  tlie 


dead.  —  Gave  up  the  ghost.  Or, 
more  properly  translated,  "  expired." 
The  death  of  Herod  occurred  about 
A.  D.  44. 

24.  Bud  the  word  of  God  grew. 
This  is  spoken  as  by  way  of  con- 
trast with  the  end  of  the  persecutor. 
Herod,  the  enemy  of  the  church,  the 
slayer  of  an  apostle,  dies  in  agony 
and  shame  ;  but  the  word  of  God 
comes  forth  from  the  fiery  trial  in 
immortal  brightness  and  power,  to 
spread  its  blessed  influences  over 
wider  circles  of  human  beings. 

25.  Barnabas  and  Said  returned, 
i.  e.  to  Antioch,  from  which  they  had 
been  deputed  on  a  mission  of  be- 
nevolence to  the  poor  at  Jerusalem. 
Chap.  xi.  29,  ^.^ Fulfilled  their 
ministi-y.  By  which  is  meant,  in  the 
present  case,  their  service  in  behalf 
of  the  temporal,  rather  than  tlie 
spiritual,  wants  of  their  brethren.  — 
Took  with  them  John.  See  note  on 
ver.  12.  We  behold  these  indefati- 
gable men  of  God  pursuing  their 
mission  witli  a  faith  that  never  fal- 
tered, and  a  love  that  never  cooled. 
If  mighty  were  the  miracles  and  won- 
ders with  which  tlieir  authority  was 
attended,  even  more  mighty  were  the 
resolution  of  will,  and  the  fortitude 
of  endurance,  with  which  they  buf- 
feted the  pelting  tempest  of  perse- 
cution, and  pressed  onward  in  their 
glorious  career.  O,  what  a  living, 
salient  force  was  theirs,  yet  how 
tempered  with  a  divine  peace  —  the 
repose  of  the  most  vigorous  and  har- 
monious life ! 

The  church  has  now  weathered 
the  second  stonn  of  persecution,  but 
one  of  the  sacred  band  has  fallen  be- 
neath the  headsman's  sword.  The 
Twelve  are  again  broken  in  upon, 


XIIL] 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


185 


CHAPTER  XIIL 

Paid  and  Barnabas  go  upon  a  Mission  into   Cyprus  and  Asia   Minor.     The  Dis- 
course of  Paul  at  Antiodi. 

IMOW  there  were  in  the  church  that  was  at  Antioch  certain 
prophets  and  teachers ;  as  Barnabas,  and  Simeon  that  was  called 
Niger,  and  Lucius  of  Cyrene,  and    Manaen,  which    had   been 


and  their  shattered  ring  is  never 
more  made  whole.  But  with  losses 
come  helps.  The  arm  of  the  Lord  is 
again  bared,  and  an  apostle  is  de- 
livered, and  a  persecutor  laid  low  — 
Peter  is  snatched  from  the  very  jaws 
of  destruction,  and  Herod  is  hurled 
trom  the  summit  of  his  glory:  Could 
we  read  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles 
with  a  fresh  mind,  no  history  on 
eirth,  except  ths  evangelic  record, 
would  be  more  moving  and  Avonder- 
ful,  more  grand  and  pathetic.  As 
the  curtain  is  drawn  aside  from  one 
scene  after  another,  we  seem  to  be 
witnessing  a  new  enactment  of  the 
great  drama  of  creation  —  the  forma- 
tion of  a  new  heavens  and  a  new 
earth ;  new  lights  take  their  places 
in  the  firmament;  new  flowers  and 
trees  spring  from  the  regenerated 
soil ;  new  creatures  bound  into  be- 
ing; new  forces  begin  to  act,  new 
elements  to  combine ;  and,  though 
there  are  toils,  and  fears,  and  sins,  in- 
vading the  newly-planted  Elden  of 
the  Lord  —  though  there  are  seen 
the  stains  of  the  martyr's  blood  — 
though  the  footsteps  of  d  mger,  and 
the  "whispers  of  the  tempter,  penetrate 
into  this  hallowed  creation  —  we  yet 
seem  to  hear  the  ancient  benediction 
of  the  Maker  —  "  and,  behold,  it  was 
very  good  " ! 

CHAPTER   XIIL 

The  history,  from  this  point,  is  al- 
most exclusively  occupied  with  the 
travels  and  labors  of  Paul.  The 
chief  interest  of  the  cause  is  also 
transferred  from  the  holy  land  to 
Gentile  countries. 

16* 


1.  Antioch.  This  populous  and 
frequented  city  was  a  fine  radiating 
point  for  the  diffusive  light  of  Chris- 
tianity. And  as  soon  as  a  church 
had  been  formed  by  preachers  from 
Jerusalem,  fleeing  hitlier  for  their 
lives,  chap.  xi.  19,  it  became  itself  a 
living  centre  of  influence,  in  turn, 
and  despatched  missionaries  to  yet 
new  fields  of  labor.  Such  is  the  ex- 
pansive benevolence  of  the  gospel. 
—  Prophets  and  teachers.  It  has 
been  inferred  from  Rom.  xii.  6,  7  ;  1 
Cor.  xii.  28 ;  Eph.  iv.  11,  that  there 
was  a  distinction  between  these 
classes,  but  of  what  nature  cannot 
be  certainly  determined ;  perhaps 
prophets  were  public,  and  teachers 
private,  instructors  of  the  church ; 
though  the  same  persons  might 
hold  both  offices,  the  diflference  con- 
sisting in  gifts  rather  than  in  indi- 
viduals. —  Barnabas.  Chap.  ix.  27, 
xi.  22,  26.  —  Simeon  that  ivas  called 
JViger.  A  Latin  cognomen,  mean- 
ing "black."  He  was  so  called 
probably  on  account  of  his  color. 
His  history  is  unknown.  —  Lucius. 
This  is  the  same  individual,  in  all 
likelihood,  mentioned  in  Rom.  xvi. 
21,  —  Cyrene.  A  city  in  Northern 
Africa.  Chap.  ii.  10,  and  note.  — 
Manaen,  which  had  been  brought  up 
vnth.  Or,  as  the  margin  better  reads, 
"  foster  brother."  Nothing  furtlier 
is  l<nov>'n  of  tliis  person,  except  the 
interesting  fact  here  stated,  that  he 
was  the  youthful  companion  of  Her- 
od, agreeably  to  the  custom  of  the 
East,  by  which  the  sons  of  princes 
and  rulers  have  lads  of  their  own  age 
brought  up  with  them  as  their  play- 


186 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


brought  up  with  Herod  the  tetrarch,  and  Saul.     As  they  minis-  2 
tered  to  the  Lord,  and  fasted,  the  Holy  Ghost  said,  Separate  me 
Barnabas  and  Saul,  for  the  work  whereunto  I  have  called  them. 
And  when  they  had  fasted  and  prayed,  and  laid  their  hands  on  3 


mates  and  school-fellows.  Many 
cases  like  the  above  are  cited  from 
ancient  authors.  Though  educated 
amidst  pomp  and  luxury,  Manaen 
yet  proved  faithful  to  the  highest 
convictions  of  his  soul,  and  wel- 
comed the  gospel,  when  offered  to 
him,  as  the  guide  of  life.  —  Herod 
the  tetrarch,  i.  e.  Herod  Antipas, 
Mat.  xiv.  1,  not  Herod  Agrippa, 
chap.  xii.  He  was  the  son  of  Herod 
the  Great,  who  sent  him  and  his 
brother  Archelaus,  Mat  ii.  22,  in 
their  youtli,  to  Rome  to  be  educated. 
His  connexion  with  Manaen  was 
earlier  in  life,  in  the  nursery. 

2.  Ministered  to  the  Lord.  Per- 
formed religious  services  of  prayer 
and  praise.     See  note  on  Luke  i.  23. 

—  Fasting.  It  is  the  opinion  of 
Kemick,  that  these  exercises  of  sup- 
plication and  fasting  were  of  an  un- 
usually solemn  kind,  and  instituted 
for  the  purpose  of  invoking  miracu- 
lous aid.  For  this  aid,  "though 
sometimes  given  unasked,  could  at 
other  times  only  be  procured  by 
prayer,  and  that  of  the  most  solemn 
and  earnest  kind.  Accordingly,  our 
Saviour  says,  when  speaking  of  de- 
mons, '  This  kind  goeth  not  out,  but 
by  prayer  and  fasting.'  Mat.  xvii.  21." 

—  The  Holy  Ghost  said.  There  is 
no  assertion  or  implication  here  of 
the  personality  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
apart  from  God  himself,  as  has  been 
conceded  by  Trinitarian  writers 
themselves.  See  Wilson's  remark- 
able Concessions  of  Trinitarians. 
Clarke  paraphrases  thus :  "  A  reve- 
lation of  the  divine  will  was  made  to 
some  person  present ; "  and  Kuinoel 
says,  "The  Divine  Spirit,  namely, 
God,  admonished  them  by  some  one 
belonging  to  the  church ;  by  a  proph- 


et" —  Separate  me.  Old  idiom,  for 
"  separate  for  me,"  or,  "  to  me."  The 
doctrine  among  believers  in  High 
Church  measures,  and  the  Papal  or 
Episcopal  mode  of  ecclesiastical  gov- 
ernment and  apostolic  succession,  is, 
that  Saul  and  Barnabas  were  set 
apart  and  consecrated  as  apostles  at 
this  time.  But  tliere  is  no  proof  On 
the  contrary,  the  present  consecra- 
tion was  not  an  investiture  for  a  gen- 
eral and  perpetual  office,  but  an  ap- 
pointment to  a  particular  work,  a 
missionary  tour  in  Asia  Minor  and 
the  Levant  Besides,  if  such  a  con- 
secration took  place,  it  was  under 
the  sanction  and  auspices  of  inferior, 
or  at  most  of  equal,  officers  of  the 
clmrch  with  Paul  and  Barnabas 
themselves.  A  fountain  cannot  flow 
higher  than  its  source.  Paul  derives, 
too,  his  authority  from  a  different 
origin,  in  Gal.  i.  1.  Barnabas,  more- 
over, is  seldom  called  an  apostle,  and 
that  not  directly.  Chap.  xiv.  4 ;  1 
Cor.  ix.  6.  They  had  already  preached 
the  gospel  before  this  time,  chap.  xi. 
25,  26,  and  exercised  as  much  power 
as  afterwards,  so  far  as  gifts  and  in- 
fluences were  concerned.  The  idea 
that  Paul  Avas  chosen  by  Jesus  to 
occupy  the  place  of  Judas,  which  the 
apostles  filled  without  authority  by 
the  choice  of  Mattliias ;  or  that  he 
was  substituted  in  lieu  of  James  the 
Greater,  who  suffered  martyrdom, 
chap,  xii.  2,  and  that  Barnabas  was  to 
take  the  post  of  James  the  Less,  who 
was  bishop  of  the  church  at  Jerusa- 
lem, is  mere  conjecture,  without  proof 
or  probability.  —  The  work.  Not  an 
office,  but  a  work,  a  mission  abroad. 
3.  Fasted  and  prayed.  These  were 
not  the  same  exercises  as  those 
spoken  of  in  ver.  2,   but  specially 


XIIL] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


187 


4  them,  they  sent  them  away. So  they,  being  sent  forth  by  the 

Holy  Ghost,  departed    unto   Seleucia;    and    from   thence   they 

5  sailed    to   Cyprus.       And    when    they   were    at    Salamis,   they 
preached  the  word  of  God  in  the  synagogues  of  the  Jews.     And 

6  they  had  also  John  to  their  minister.     And  when  they  had  gone 
through  the  isle  unto  Paphos,  they  found  a  certain  sorcerer,  a 


designed  to  dismiss  the  apostles  on 
their  great  errand  of  benevolence.  — 
They  laid  their  hands  on  them.  This 
was  a  moral,  not  an  official  act ;  de- 
signed not  to  confer  the  gifts  of  the 
Spirit,  or  qualifications  for  their  work, 
or  authority  from  any  ecclesiastical 
body,  but  to  invoke  a  blessing  upon 
tliose  beloved  and  gifted  ones,  who 
were  about  to  plunge  into  tlie  mid- 
night of  the  Gentile  world,  and  en- 
counter all  the  terrible  dangers  and 
sufferings  of  persecution.  Paul  re- 
peatedly and  earnestly  asserts  his 
apostolic  authority  from  God,  not 
from  man.  Rom.  i.  1  ;  1  Cor.  i.  1 ; 
2  Cor.  i.  1 ;  Gal.  i.  1 ;  Eph.  i.  1 ;  Col. 
i.  1 ;  2  Tun.  i.  1. 

4.  Being  sent  forth  by  the  Holy 
Ghost.  It  is  conceded  by  Williams, 
a  Trinitarian  writer,  that  the  simple 
sense  of  this  passage  is,  that  "  Bar- 
nabas and  Saul  were,  by  divine  di- 
rection, sent  out  from  the  churcli  of 
Antioch,  on  a  special  mission  to  the 
heathen  ;"  and  by  Kuinoel  that  they 
acted  "  under  the  monition  and  reve- 
lation of  the  Spirit  of  God,"  which  is 
Ctod.  —  Seleucia.  This  was  the  port 
of  Antioch,  situated  about  15  miles 
west  of  that  city,  on  the  Mediterra- 
nean Sea,  at  the  mouth  of  the  River 
Orontes,  in  Syria.  It  took  its  name 
from  Seleucus  Nicanor,  —  one  of  the 
generals  and  successors  of  Alexander 
the  Great,  —  by  whjm  it  was  built. 
—  Sailed  to  Cyprus.  This  island  is 
about  60  miles  south-west  from  Se- 
leucia, in  the  Mediterranean,  or  in 
that  part  of  it  called  the  Sea  of  Ciiicia. 
See  note  on  chap.  iv.  36.  This  was 
the  first  journey  of  Paul. 


5.  They  were  probably  induced 
to  visit  this  island,  because  it  had 
been  the  country  of  Barnabas,  and 
the  gospel  had  already  been  preached 
there  before.  Chap.  xi.  19.  —  Sala- 
7nis.  This  city  was  the  capital,  situ- 
ated on  the  south-east  part  of  Cy- 
prus. It  was  built  by  Teucer,  who 
gave  it  the  name  of  tlie  island  of  Sal- 
amis,  from  which  he  had  been  ban- 
ished. It  was  subject  to  earthquakes. 
It  has  been  successively  called  Con- 
stantia  and  Salina.  —  In  the  syna- 
goscues  of  the  Jews.  The  Joavs  were 
uniformly  addressed  first  by  the  dis- 
ciples, and  if  they  turned  a  deaf  ear, 
the  apostles  then  resorted  to  tlie 
Gentiles.  The  synagogues  furnished 
excellent  openings  for  preaching 
Christianity  to  the  Jews.  —  They  had 
also  John  to  their  minister.  Or,  "  for 
their  servant,"  or,  attendant.  Chap, 
xii.  12.  He  was  the  evangelist,  oth- 
erwise called  Mai'k.  In  travelling 
from  place  to  place,  occupied  as  they 
were  with  the  important  duties  of 
their  office,  they  naturally  required 
some  one  to  attend  to  their  secular 
concerns,  and  provide  for  their  con- 
veniences and  wants. 

6.  Had  gone  through  the  island 
unto  Paphos.  The  extent  of  the  isl- 
and, from  east  to  west,  was  between 
400  and  500  miles,  which  Avas  trav- 
ersed by  Paul  and  his  companions  in 
their  work  of  mercy.  —  Paphos,  sit- 
uated on  the  western  extremity  of 
Cyprus,  was  celebrated  for  its  luxury 
and  licentiousness,  and  contained  a 
splendid  temple  dedicated  to  Venus, 
AvJiose  Avorship  Avas  of  the  most  dis- 
solute character.     City   and  temple 


188 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


false  prophet,  a  Jew,  whose  name  was   Bar-jesus :    which   was  7 
with  the  deputy  of  the  country,  Sergius  Paulus,  a  prudent  man ; 
who  called  for  Barnabas  and  Saul,  and  desired  to  hear  the  word 
of  God.     But  Elyraas  the  sorcerer  (for  so  is  his  name  by  inter-  8 
pretation)  withstood  them,  seeking  to  turn  away  the  deputy  from 


were  both  destroyed  by  an  earth- 
quake, so  that  not  a  trace  Avas  left.  — 
Sorcerer.  In  the  original,  "  Magus," 
a  magician.  Chap.  viii.  9.  —  A  false 
prophet.  Or,  pretended  teacher,  who 
hypocritically  professed  inspiration. 
—  Bar-jesus,  i.  e.  the  son  of  Jesus  or 
Joshua,  Bar  being  the  Syriac  for 
son ;  thus  Barjona,  signifying  the 
son  of  Jonas,  Bartholomew  the  son 
of  Tolmai. 

7.  The  deputy.  The  original  is 
"  proconsul."  It  was  the  custom  of 
the  Romans,  after  the  accession  of 
Augustus  to  the  empire,  to  divide 
their  provinces  into  two  classes  ;  one 
of  which  belonged  to  the  emperor, 
and  was  under  the  administration 
of  officers  called  proprdors,  but  the 
other  to  the  senate  and  ]loman  peo- 
ple, and  was  governed  by  procon- 
suls. Cyprus  had  been  a  propreto- 
rian  province,  but  it  had  been  trans- 
ferred, before  the  present  time,  as 
als )  Narbonese  Gaul,  to  the  senate, 
and  the  presiding  officer  was  there- 
fore called  a  proconsul,  as  in  the 
text ;  for  a  coin  has  been  discovered 
containing  an  inscription  employing 
tlie  very  same  title  of  proconsul  in 
relation  to  Proclus,  who  m  xt  suc- 
ceeded Sergius  Paulus  in  the  gov- 
ernment of  this  island.  An  ancient 
inscription,  in  the  time  of  Caligula, 
the  predecessor  of  Claudius,  the 
present  emperor,  also  styles  Aquilius 
Scaura  proconsul  of  the  province  of 
Cyprus.  The  accuracy  of  Luke, 
therefore,  in  applying  this  title  to  the 
ruler  of  the  island,  is  triumphantly 
vindicated,  and  he  is  proved  to  be 
thoroughly  acquainted  witli  the  facts 
which  he  related.  These  incidental 
proofs  carry  with  them  the  greater 


weight,  because  they  are  incidental. 

—  Sergius  Paulus.  Nothing  further 
is  known  of  this  individual  except 
what  is  contained  in  the  present 
record.  —  Prudent.  Sensible,  intel- 
ligent, sagacious.  —  IFho  called  for, 
^■c.  His  religious  tendencies  had 
been  already  exhibited  in  his  having 
Elymas  with  him,  for  that  individual, 
doubtless,  mingled  some  truths  Avith 
his  tissue  of  pretence  and  sophistry, 
and  the  Roman  turned  towards  the 
feeblest  glimmering  of  light.  When, 
therefore,  he  heard  of  the  coming  of 
the  new  preachers,  he  sought  their 
instructions  with  candor  and  earn- 
estness*; nor  sought  in  vain. 

8.  Elymas.  This  word  means,  in 
Arabic,  "Magus,"  or,  "sorcerer,"  and 
hence  the  epithet  which  was  applied 
to  him,  on  account  of  his  profession. 

—  Seeking  to  turn  away,  &fc.  This 
pretender  not  only  sought  to  dispute 
the  ground  with  the  new  claimants 
to  public  att' ntion,  but  also  to  alien- 
ate their  distinguished  convert.  His 
interest  was  involved  in  supplanting 
the  apostles,  and  he  hesitated  at  no 
means,  however  bad,  to  effect  his 
purpose.  The  character  of  tins  in- 
dividual, like  his  profession,  resem- 
bled that  of  Sim.on  Magus,  whose 
history  is  related  in  chap.  viii.  Re- 
ligion, truth,  Avere  nothing  to  him, 
except  as  they  could  be  converted 
for  or  against  his  own  selfish  ends. 
"  So  prevalent  Avas  the  practice  of 
sorcery  among  the  Jews,"  accord- 
ing to  the  quotations  of  Lightfoot 
from  the  Talmuds,  "that  many  of 
their  judges,  elders,  or  rabbins,  are 
said  to  have  attained  such  a  pro- 
ficiency in  magic  or  sorcery  as  to 
surpass    even    those   who   made    it 


XIII.] 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


189 


9  the  faith.     Then  Saul,  (who  also  is  called  Paul,)  filled  with  the 
10  Holy  Ghost,  set  his  eyes  on  him,  and  said,  O  full  of  all  subtlety, 
and  all  mischief,  thou  child  of  the  devil,  thou  enemy  of  all  right- 
eousness, wilt  thou  not  cease  to  pervert  the  right  ways  of  the 


their  profession."  Among  the  dis- 
tinguished men  of  Rome,  also,  as  in 
the  present  case  of  Sergius  Paul  us, 
there  was  often  a  curiosity  to  seek 
the  aid  of  these  religious  pretenders, 
or  sorcerers,  who  professed  to  be 
wise  in  whatever  related  to  the  gods 
and  futurity.  Though  the  gospel 
had  many  enemies  and  obstacles, 
there  were  none  more  fatal  to  its 
pure  spirit  of  truth  and  holiness  than 
these  traders  in  divine  things,  these 
quacks  in  wisdom ;  for,  whether  tliey 
embraced  it  like  Simon,  or  rejected 
it  like  Elymas,  they  alike  breathed 
upon  it  a  poisonous  influence,  and 
diffused  a  subtle  virus  through  the 
faith  of  generations  to  come.  The 
ancient  philosophy,  falsely  so  called, 
the  superstitions  of  the  East,  and  the 
craft  of  the  old  magicians,  have  in- 
fected the  creeds  and  practice  of 
large  portions  of  Christian  history, 
as  could  be  substantiated  by  a  recur- 
rence to  facts.  It  was  not  strange, 
therefore,  that  the  apostles,  clear- 
sighted as  to  the  future  fortunes  of 
the  church,  shuddered  at  the  ap- 
proach of  one  of  these  men,  as  at  the 
sight  of  an  adder ;  and  that  Peter,  on 
a  former  occasion,  and  Paul,  at  tliis 
time,  expressed  their  strongest  in- 
dignation, and  even  let  fly  the  ar- 
rows of  warning  and  punishment 

9.  Said,  who  also  is  called  Paul. 
The  "  also"  would  be  more  appropri- 
ately placed  after  Paul.  The  name 
of  Saul  is  dropped  at  this  place,  and 
that  of  Paul  ever  afterwards  em- 
ployed. The  cause  of  this  change 
is  unknown.  If  the  apostle  had  two 
names  at  the  beginning,  it  is  remark- 
able that  only  one  has  been  used 
hitherto  ;  and  it  is  not  probable  that 
he  adopted  the  name  of  Sergius  Pau- 


lus,  as  tliat  would  be  for  the  greater  to 
receive  a  title  from  the  less ;  though 
the  use  of  Paid  as  a  constant  designa- 
tion may  have  arisen  first  ajnong  the 
family  and  attendants  of  the  procon- 
sul. The  adoption  of  a  new  name 
did  not,  moreover,  occur  on  account 
of  Paul's  conversion,  because,  even 
after  that  event,  he  still  retained  his 
former  one.  We  therefore  conclude, 
that  the  change  took  place  out  of 
deference  to  Gentile  preferences  of 
a  Roman  to  a  Hebrew  name  for  the 
apostle  to  the  heathen  world.  The 
meaning  of  Said  is,  desired,  that  of 
Paul,  small,  little.  But,  though  hav- 
ing different  senses,  the  words  may- 
have  been  the  same  essentially  in 
pronunciation,  the  Romans  calling 
Paul  whom  the  Jews  called  Saul ; 
as  the  Dutch  call  Hans,  whom  we 
call  John,  and  the  French  Jean,  and 
the  Greeks  and  Latins  Johannes, 
and  the  Hebrews  Jochanan.  —  Filled 
ivith  the  Holy  Ghost.  "  Filled  with 
the  influence  and  inspiration  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  not  under  the  impres- 
sion of  spleen  or  anger." — Set  his 
eyes  on  him.  Implying  intentness 
and  severity  of  look. 

10.  O  full  of  all  subtlety.  Or, 
fraud,  guile,  deceit  —  Mischief.  The 
Greek  signifies  "  ease,  or,  lightness 
of  doing ; "  hence  a  secondary  mean- 
ing of  levity,  wickedness,  and  de- 
ception. Some  conjecture  a  refer- 
ence to  his  tricks  of  legerdemain 
and  sleight  of  hand,  but  it  is  unne- 
cessary. —  Thou  child  of  the  devil. 
The  same  language  was  employed 
by  our  Lord  in  respect  to  the  Jews. 
John  viii.  44.  See,  also,  1  John  iii. 
8.  But  such  a  phrase  does  not  en- 
dorse tlie  belief  of  the  existence  of 
tlie   devil,  as  a  species  of  second 


1^  THE  ACTS  [Chap. 

Lord?     And  now  behold,  the  hand  of  the  Lord  is  upon  thee,  11 
and  thou  shalt  be  blind,  not  seeing  the  sun  for  a  season.     And 
immediately  there  fell  on  him  a  mist  and  a  darkness;    and  he 
went  about  seeking  some  to  lead  him  by  the  hand.     Then  the  12 
deputy,  when  he  saw  what  was  done,  believed,  being  astonished 
at  the  doctrine  of  the  Lord. 


Almighty,  and  predicate  of  Elymas 
a  literal  sonship  to  this  malignant 
being;  but  it  is  popular  language, 
fitted  to  convey,  by  a  powerful  illus- 
tration, Paul's  abhorrence  of  the  sor- 
cerer, as  if  he  was  too  bad  a  man  to 
act  simply  under  tlie  guidance  of  his 
own  heart,  but  was  actuated  by  the 
reputed  father  of  evil,  the  god  of 
wickedness  and  sin.  —  Of  all  right- 
eousness. Of  all  goodness.  The 
heaping  of  epithet  upon  epithet,  and 
description  upon  description,  identi- 
fies the  impassioned  and  imaginative 
Paul  of  the  Epistles,  who  rushes  with 
the  stream  of  energetic  tlioughts,  and 
overflows  with  vivid  figures.  —  Wilt 
thou  not  cease,  &fc.  He  indignantly 
inquires  whether  he  would  not  cease 
his  impiety,  and  forbear  perverting 
the  right  ways  of  tlie  Lord,  or  tliAvart- 
ing  the  righteous  purposes  of  Heaven 
in  the  conversion  of  the  proconsul,  his 
friends  and  people.  A  threat  lurks 
under  such  a  remonstrance  ;  as  much 
as  to  say,  that  if  he  did  not  abstain 
from  further  opposition,  he  would  be 
visited  with  temporal  judgments. 

11.  T%e  hand  of  the  Lord  is  upon 
thee.  A  Scripture  phrase  to  express 
an  infliction  of  punishment,  or  a 
chastisement  of  God.  —  JVot  seeing 
the  sun,  ^'c.  He  would  suffer  a  tem- 
porary blindness,  so  severe  as  not  to 
be  able  to  distinguish  the  light  of 
the  sun.  —  T^ei-e  fell  on  him  a  mist, 
&fc.  As  remarked  by  Bloomfield, 
"  The  supervention  of  the  blindness 
is  graphically  described,  by  various 
stages  of  the  affection.  First,  a  cloud, 
as  it  were,  came  over  the  eyes,  which 
soon  increased  to  darkness,  and  that 
terminated   in  that  total  eclipse,  in 


which  the  sun  is  dark  ! "  —  fVent 
about,  seeking  some  to  lead  him  by  the 
haiid.  "  This  state  of  Elymas  is  in- 
imitably represented  in  one  of  the 
cartoons  of  Raphael,  in  which  his 
whole  figure  expresses  the  depth  of 
distress,  concern,  uncertainty,  and  con- 
fusion ;  and,  to  use  a  word  common 
in  exhibiting  this  matchless  piece  of 
painting,  he  is  blind  from  head  to  foot. 
In  this  manner  the  text  authorized 
the  painter  to  express  the  state  of 
this  miserable  culprit"  The  remarks 
made  upon  the  case  of  A.nanias  and 
Sapphira,  in  justification  of  their  pun- 
ishment by  a  summary  death,  are 
essentially  applicable  to  the  present 
instance  of  judicial  visitation.  See 
chap,  v.,  and  notes  thereon.  It  was 
better  that  one  man  should  be  made 
blind  physically  for  a  season,  than 
tliat  multitudes,  by  his  unrebuked 
crafl  and  guile,  should  be  made  spirit- 
ually blind  to  the  great  realities  of 
the  gospel.  Every  lower  good  should 
be  freely  sacrificed  for  a  higher  good. 
12.  fVhen  he  saiv  what  was  done, 
believed.  We  witness  the  result  of 
the  punishment  of  Elymas,  in  estab- 
lishing tlie  faith  of  the  proconsul. 
Such  was  the  intended  effect  of  tlie 
miracle,  and  in  all  likelihood  its  in- 
fluence extended  to  other  individuals. 
Some  traditions  have  been  preserved 
that  the  sorcerer  himself  was  soften- 
ed by  his  retribution,  and  became  an 
eminent  disciple,  but  they  are  desti- 
tute of  credit.  We  have  an  instance, 
in  Sergius  Paulus,  of  the  rich  and 
powerful  embracing  Christianity,  and 
tlie  epithet  applied  to  him,  in  ver.  7, 
was  vindicated.  If  Christianity  is 
needed  by  the  poor  to  sustain  them 


XIII.] 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


191 


13  Now  when  Paul  and  his  company  loosed  from  Paphos,  they 
came  to  Perga  in  Pamphylia :    and  John,  departing  from  them, 

14  returned  to  Jerusalem.  But  when  they  departed  from  Perga, 
they  came  to  Antioch  in  Pisidia,  and  went  into  the  synagogue 

15  on  the  Sabbath  day,  and  sat  down.  And  after  the  reading  of 
the  law  and  the  prophets,  the  rulers  of  the  synagogue  sent  unto 
them,  saying,    Ye  men  and  brethren,  if  ye   have  any  word  of 


under  their  peculiar  trials,  it  is  equal- 
ly requisite  to  fortify  the  powerful 
and  prosperous  against  their  beset- 
ting temptations.  Whatever  the  ex- 
ternal condition  be,  it  is  needed  by 
every  human  soul,  for  its  develop- 
ment and  nutriment  as  a  soul,  as 
a  spiritual  intelligence  holding  im- 
mortal relations  to  God  and  mankind. 
Whether  Paulus  was  baptized,  and 
received  as  an  avowed  adherent  to 
the  Christian  community,  is  not  re- 
lated, as  no  further  history  of  his  life 
is  recorded. 

13.  Paid  and  his  company,  i.  e. 
Barnabas  and  Mark,  ■with  perhaps 
other  converts  from  Cyprus,  as  it  was 
customary  at  times  for  delegations 
of  the  brethren  to  accompany  the 
heralds  of  the  cross  in  their  expedi- 
tions from  one  country  to  anotlier. 
Chap.  ix.  30,  xvii.  15. — Loosed  from 
Paphos,  i.  e.  sailed  from  this  port 
in  Cyprus.  —  Perga  in  Pamphylia. 
Pamphylia  was  one  of  the  provinces 
of  Asia  Minor.  See  note  on  chap.  ii. 
10.  A  voyage  from  Cyprus  to  this 
country  took  them  across  the  Cilician 
Sea.  Perga,  the  capital  of  Pamphylia, 
stood  upon  the  banks  of  the  River 
Cestus,  about  1'2  miles  from  its  mouth, 
and  was  distinguished  for  what  Ci- 
cero calls  "  the  most  ancient  and  sa- 
cred temple  of  the  goddess  Diana," 
situated  upon  a  neighboring  moun- 
tain. —  John,  departing  from  them. 
Whether  he  turned  back  through 
fear  of  danger,  or  impatience  under 
hardships,  or  the  call  of  business  at 
home,  his  reasons  were  not  satisfjic- 
tory  to  Paul,  chap.  xv.  38,  wlio  after- 


wards refused  his  company,  though 
he  finally  became  reconciled  to  him, 
and  coupled  endearing  epithets  with 
his  name.  Col.  iv.  10 ;  Philemon  24 ; 
2  Tim.  iv.  11.  —  Returned  to  Jeru- 
salem. Where  his  mother  resided, 
and  owned  a  house. 

14.  Aniioch  in  Pisidia.  Pisidia 
was  a  district  of  Asia  Minor,  bounded 
by  Lycaonia  on  the  north,  Pamphy- 
lia on  the  south,  Cilicia  and  Cappado- 
cia  on  the  east,  and  Asia  on  the  west 
Antioch  is  called  Antioch  in  Pisidia, 
to  distinguish  it  from  tlie  city  of  that 
name,  ver.  1,  in  Syria,  chap.  xi.  26. 
It  was,  strictly  speaking,  in  Phrygia, 
but  belonged  to  Pisidia,  and  was 
situated  about  90  miles  north  from 
Perga.  —  On  the  Sabbath  day.  Cor- 
responding to  our  Saturday.  What- 
ever part  of  the  Avorld  they  visited, 
they  found  Jewish  synagogues,  open 
to  their  worship  and  exhortations. 
—  Sat  down.  They  took  the  posi- 
tion, in  the  house,  of  teachers  or  ex- 
horters,  so  that  it  would  be  expected 
that  they  should  address  the  meeting 
at  the  proper  time. 

15.  AJler  the  reading  of  the  law 
and  the  prophets.  See  Luke  iv.  17, 
and  note  thereon.  The  Pentateuch, 
or  law  of  Moses,  was  divided  into 
sections,  one  of  which  was  read  each 
Sabbath  day,  and  the  whole  in  the 
course  of  the  year.  Such  a  portion 
was  also  read  from  the  prophets,  in 
conjunction  with  the  law,  at  each 
time,  as  would  harmonize  with  it. 
It  is  the  conjecture  of  Bengel,  that, 
on  this  occasion,  the  reading  lessons 
were  Deut.  i.  and  Is.  i.,  as  these  were 


199  THE  ACTS  [Chap. 

exhortation   for  the  people,  say  on. Then  Paul  stood  up,  16 

and  beckoning  with  Ids  hand,  said,  Men  of  Israel,  and  ye  that 
fear  God,  give  audience.     The  God  of  this  people  of  Israel  n 
chose  our  fathers,  and  exalted  the  people  when  they  dwelt  as 
strangers  in  the  land  of  Egypt,  and  with  a  high  arm  brought  he 
them  out  of  it.     And  about  the  time  of  forty  years  suffered  he  18 


read  together,  and  Paul  seemingly  re- 
fers, in  ver.  18,  to  Deut.  i.  31.  After 
the  Scriptures  were  read,  it  was  cus- 
tomary for  the  officers  of  the  syna- 
gogue, or  some  stranger  present,  to 
expound  and  exhort  —  The  rulers 
of  the  synagogue.  There  were  three 
rulers  to  every  synagogue,  who  reg- 
ulated all  its  concerns,  granted  per- 
mission to  preach  and  exhort,  and, 
according  to  Lightfoot,  possessed 
also  a  civil  power,  and  constituted 
"  the  council  of  three,"  which  settled 
quarrels  and  rendered  justice  in 
pecuniary  transactions.  The  other 
principal  officer  in  a  synagogue  was 
the  minister,  or  "  the  angel  of  the 
church,"  Rev.  ii.  iii.,  who  prayed, 
read,  and  exhorted.  Luke  iv.  20.  — 
Any  word  of  exhortation,  ifc.  Paul 
and  Barnabas  were  invited,  as  stran- 
gers, to  address  the  people.  The  dis- 
tance of  Antioch  from  Jerusalem, 
the  head-quarters  of  their  faith,  natu- 
rally rendered  the  congregation  more 
interested  in  hearing  those  who  had 
come  from  the  holy  city.  —  Say  on. 
Speak. 

16.  Beckoning  with  his  liand.  As 
if  to  secure  attention.  Paul  employ- 
ed the  opportunity  to  give  a  discourse 
upon  the  gospel.  He  first  made  a  vir- 
tual acknowledgment  of  his  faith  in 
the  law  and  the  prophets,  by  a  rapid 
sketch  of  the  Jewish  history,  and  then 
argued  the  completion  of  the  ancient 
promises  by  the  life,  death,  and  res- 
urrection of  Jesus,  whom  he  urged 
upon  their  faith  and  obedience  as  the 
true  Messiah,  who  could  not  be  neg- 
lected or  disobeyed  with  impunity. 
This  address  bears  some  similarity 
to  that  of  Stephen,  except  in  being 


shorter,  and  being  brought  to  an  un- 
broken conclusion,  while  Stephen 
was  interrupted  before  the  end. — 
Men  of  Israel,  and  ye  tJiat  fear  God. 
Here  are  the  two  classes  described, 
of  genuine  Jews,  and  proselytes  from 
among  the  Gentiles.     Ver.  42,  43. 

17.  Paul  commenced  his  address 
with  a  conciliating  tone,  agreeably  to 
the  rule  of  the  ancient  rhetoricians, 
that  a  public  speaker  should  seek  in 
his  exordium,  or  introduction,  to  ren- 
der his  audience  "  attentive,  docile, 
and  well  disposed."  —  Chose  our  fa- 
thers. The  children  of  Israel  were 
selected  from  other  nations  for  an 
important,  special  end  ;  not  for  their 
oAvn  national  aggrandizement,  but  for 
the  good  of  the  whole  family  of  man. 
—  Exalted  the  people,  ^c.  Notwith- 
standing the  bondage  of  Egypt,  the 
Israelites  multiplied  from  a  single 
family  into  a  great  nation,  and  when 
they  Avere  redeemed  from  slavery 
they  were  numbered  by  myriads. 
Ex.  xii.  37.  —  With  a  high  arm. 
With  an  uplifted  or  outstretched 
arm,  expressive  of  a  powerful  mani- 
festation of  divine  aid.  Comp.  Ex. 
vii.  -  XV. ;  Deut  xxvi.  8.  The  mira- 
cles in  Egypt,  and  the  passage  of  the 
Red  Sea,  justified  the  phrases,  "  with 
a  strong  hand,"  "  with  a  high  arm." 

18.  About  the  time  of  forty  years. 
The  Hebrews  spent  this  time  in 
journeying  the  short  distance  from 
Egypt  to  Canaan  through  the  deserts 
of  Arabia.  Ex.  xvi.  35 ;  Deut  viii. 
2,  3.  The  old  generation  that  was 
sensualized  by  its  bondage  in  Egypt, 
and  proximity  to  idolatry,  must  pass 
away,  and  a  new  race  come  upon  the 
stage,   better  prepared  to  carry  out 


xiii.] 


OP  THE  APOSTLES. 


193 


ly  their  manners  in  the  wilderness.  And  when  he  had  destroyed 
seven  nations  in  the  land  of  Chanaan,  he  divided  their  land  to 

20  them  by  lot.  And  after  that,  he  gave  unto  them  judges,  about 
the  space  of  four  hundred   and  fifty  years,   until   Samuel   the 


the  purposes  of  Heaven  in  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  pure  worship  on  earth 
—  the  germ  of  a  boundless  growth 
of  true  faith  through  all  ages  and  all 
nations.  —  Suffered  he  their  manners. 
The  best  critics  read,  "Nourished, 
or  bore,  or  fed  them  as  a  nurse ; " 
changing  the  word  in  the  original 
into  another  slightly  different  in 
form,  which  is  found  in  good  author- 
ities. The  Israelites  were  guided 
and  guarded  by  a  favoring  Providence 
in  tiieir  journeyings.  Their  disci- 
pline was  ordered  for  their  best  good, 
and  every  visitation  carried  healing 
and  life  in  its  train.  When  reduced 
to  extremity,  they  called  upon  the 
God  of  their  fathers,  and  they  ever 
found  that  his  ear  was  not  heavy 
that  it  could  not  hear,  nor  his  ann 
shortened  that  it  could  not  save.  Ex. 
xix.  4;  Num.  xi.  12;  Deut.  i.  31; 
Is.  xlvi.  4. 

19.  Destroyed  seven  nations,  i.  e. 
the  Canaanites,  Hittites,  Girgashites, 
Amorites,  Hivites,  Perizzites,  and 
Jebusites.  Deut.  vii.  1 ;  Josh.  iii.  10. 
These  tribes  Avere  not  utterly  extir- 
pated, but  their  national  existence 
was  essentially  broken.  —  He  divided 
their  land  to  them  hy  lot.  Or,  he  al- 
lotted, or  assigned  them  the  land. 
Josh.  xiv.  XV.  Bishop  Watson,  in 
his  Apology  for  the  Bible,  remarks 
that,  "  As  to  the  Canaanites,  it  is 
needless  to  enter  into  any  proof  of 
the  depraved  state  of  their  morals ; 
they  were  a  wicked  people  in  the* 
time  of  Abraham,  and  they,  even 
then,  were  devoted  to  destruction 
by  God ;  but  their  iniquity  was  not 
then  full.  In  the  time  of  Moses, 
they  were  idolaters,  sacrificers  of 
their  own  crying  or  smiling  infants  ; 
devourers  of  human  flesh ;  addicted 

VOL.    III.  17 


to  unnatural  lust;  immersed  in  the 
filthiness  of  all  manner  of  vice.  Now, 
I  think,  it  will  be  impossible  to  prove, 
that  it  was  a  proceeding  contrary  to 
God's  moral  justice  to  exterminate 
so  wicked  a  people.  He  made  the 
Israelites  the  executors  of  his  ven- 
geance ;  and,  in  doing  this,  he  gave 
such  an  evident  and  terrible  proof  of 
his  abomination  of  vice,  as  could  not 
fail  to  strike  the  surrounding  nations 
with  astonishment  and  terror,  and  to 
impress  on  the  minds  of  the  Israelites 
what  tliey  were  to  expect,  if  they 
followed  the  example  of  tlie  nations 
whom  he  commanded  them  to  cut 
off.  '  Ye  shall  not  commit  any  of 
tli,ese  abominations,  that  the  land 
spew  not  you  out  also,  as  it  spewed 
out  the  nations  that  were  before  you.' 
How  strong  and  descriptive  this  lan- 
guage !  The  vices  of  the  inhabitants 
were  so  abominable,  that  the  very 
land  was  sick  of  them,  and  forced 
to  vomit  tliem  forth,  as  the  stomach 
disgorges  a  deadly  poison  ! "  The 
removal  of  the  idolatrous  tribes  of 
Canaan,  and  the  introduction  of  a 
new  people,  charged  with  a  great 
mission  for  the  good  of  mankind,  and 
imbosoming  in  their  sacred  ritual  the 
purest  ideas  of  God,  were  events  as 
justifiable  as  any  judgments  or  dis- 
pensations that  occur  in  the  admin- 
istration of  the  divine  government ; 
by  which  life  is  freely  sacrificed  for 
the  promotion  of  great  principles,  a 
lower  good  is  made  to  yield  to  a 
higher  good,  sin  is  punished,  and 
virtue  is  rewarded. 

20.  He  srave  unto  them  judges.  Or, 
"  rulers ;"  for  this  term  is  more  com- 
prehensive than  that  used  in  the  re- 
ceived version.  "  It  may  be  observ- 
ed," to  use  the  language  of  Mihnan, 


194  THE  ACTS  [Chap. 

prophet.      And  afterward  they  desired  a  king :    and  God  gave  21 
unto  them  Saul  the  son  of  Cis,  a  man  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin, 
by  the  space  of  forty  years.     And  when  he  had  removed  him,  22 


"  that,  although  these  men  were,  in 
Hebrew  phraseology,  said  to  be  rais- 
ed up  by  the  Lord,  that  is,  inspired 
with  the  noble  design,  and  endowed 
with  ability,  to  deliver  their  country, 
yet  all  their  particular  actions  are  no- 
where attributed  to  divine  direction." 
—  About  the  space  of  four  hvndred 
and  ffty  years,  ^c.  Here  a  discre- 
pancy occurs  between  Paul  and  J 
Kings  vi.  1,  which  has  been  called 
"the  cross  of  chronologists."  For 
if  we  add  to  the  450  years,  which 
are  here  assigned  to  the  judges,  the 
17  years  of  Joshua,  the  40  of  Sam- 
uel and  Saul,  the  40  of  David,  and 
the  3  of  Solomon  before  the  temple 
was  commenced,  we  have  in  all 
about  590  years,  instead  of  the  480 
of  1  Kings  vi.  1,  from  the  exodus 
out  of  Egypt  to  the  fourth  year  of 
Solomon.  It  is  thought,  therefore, 
that  the  period  under  tlie  judges 
must  be  miscalculated  by  one  or  the 
other  writer.  Paul  appears  to  have 
used  the  current  computations  of  his 
day ;  for  Josephus  says  that  "  Solo- 
mon was  now  in  the  fourth  year  of  his 
reign,  when  he  began  his  mighty 
work,  (the  erection  of  the  temple ;) 
592  years  from  the  Israelites'  coming 
out  of  Egypt ;  1020  years  from  Abra- 
ham's coming  out  of  Mesopotamia 
into  the  land  of  Canaan  ;  1440  from 
the  deluge ;  and  from  tlie  creation  of 
the  world,  3102."  Taking  out  of  the 
592  years  of  Josephus,  40  years  in  the 
wilderness,  and  the  periods  of  Josh- 
ua, Samuel,  Saul,  and  Solomon,  reck- 
oned above,  and  we  have  452,  about  , 
the  same  period  as  that  assigned 
by  Paul  for  the  time  of  the  judges. 
It  may  be  impossible  now  to  recon- 
cile the  text  with  the  statement  in  ] 
Kings  vi.  1  ;  but  it  should  be  borne 
in  mind,  that  the  subject  of  ancient 
chronology   is    involved  tlyoughout 


in  much  obscurity  ;  that  as  numbers 
were  expressed  by  letters,  there  was 
much  room  for  mistakes  in  transcrib- 
ing; and  that  Paul  agrees,  in  his 
chronology,  with  Josephus,  and  the 
prevalent  computations  of  the  Jews. 

21.  They  desired  a  king.  1  Sam. 
viii.  5  ;  Deut  xvii.  14,  15.  It  seems 
not  to  have  been  originally  intended 
that  tlie  Hebrew  government  should 
become  a  monarchy  ;  but  it  was  ne- 
cessary in  this,  as  in  another  case,  to 
yield  to  the  hardness  of  tlie  hearts  of 
the  people,  Mat  xix.  8,  to  their  am- 
bition and  vanity.  —  Savl,  the  son  of 
Cis.  Or,  Kish.  1  Sam.  ix.  1.  —  By 
the  space  of  forty  years.  Here  is 
also  a  difficulty  in  chronology.  For 
the  reign  of  Saul  alone  was  probably 
but  about  twenty  years,  and  to  this 
must  be  added  that  of  Samuel's  gov- 
ernment, to  make  up  the  period  of 
forty  years,  which  is  doubtless  the 
true  explanation;  for  Josephus  also 
speaks  of  the  reign  of  Saul  as  ex- 
tending over  forty  years,  including  a 
portion  of  tlie  life  of  Samuel. 

22.  Removed  him.  The  cause  is 
related  in  I  Sam.  xv.  He  disobeyed 
the  commands  of  God  by  sparing  the 
Amalekites.  He  distrusted  God,  and 
consulted  a  sorceress.  1  Sam.  xxviii. 
The  Philistines  conquered  him  in 
battle,  and  he  was  driven  by  despair 
to  commit  suicide.  1  Sam.  xxxi.  — 
liaised  up  unto  them  David.  1  Sam. 
xvi.  From  a  shepherd  boy,  he  be- 
came the  greatest  monarch  of  the 
age.  —  He  gave   testimony.      Comp. 

,1  Sam.  xiii.  14,  with  Ps.  Ixxxix.  20. 
—  I  have  found  David,  a  man  after 
mine  own  heart,  S^-c.  The  high  eu- 
logy which  is  here  pronounced  upon 
David's  character,  has  been  often  mis- 
understood. Infidelity  has  seized 
hold  of  the  crimes  of  David  to  slan- 
der tlie  cause  of  religion.     It  is  im- 


Xlll.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


he  raised  up  unto  them  David  to  be  their  king  :  to  whom  also  he 
gave  testimony,  and  said,  I  have  found  David  the  son  of  Jesse,  a 


portant  to  keep  in  mind  the  current 
remark  of  the  commentators,  that  the 
praise  bestowed  upon  him  was  rather 
for  his  public  than  his  private  con- 
duct, if  such  a  distinction  can   be 
made ;  that  he  was  a  man  after  God's 
OAvn  heart,  rather  as  David  the  king 
than  as  David  the  man.     For,  as  a 
sovereign,  he  was  faithful  in  uphold- 
mg  the  worship  of  God,  in  checking 
idolatry,  and  in  the  general  mainte- 
nance of  the  laws  of  J  ehovah.  1  Kings 
xiv.  8, 9,  XV.  3, 5.  He  should  be  judged, 
too,  by  the  moral  standard  of  his  day, 
not  by  Christian  rules.     The  follow- 
ing quaint,  but  beautiful,  thoughts 
m.ay,  however,  still  further  show  that, 
although  he  sinned,  he  repented,  and 
ever  exhibited  a  heaven-seeking  as- 
piration.    Edward  Irving  writes  thus 
of  David :  "  The  force  of  his  charac- 
ter was  vast,  and  the  scope  of  his  life 
was  immense.     His  harp  was  full- 
stringed,  and  every  angel  of  joy  and 
of  sorrow  swept  over  the  chords  as 
he  passed ;  but  the  melody  always 
breathed  of  heaven.  And  such  oceans 
of  aifection  lay  witliin  his  breast  as 
could  not  always   slumber  in  tlieir 
calmness.     For  the  hearts  of  a  hun- 
dred men  strove  and  struggled  to- 
gether within  the  narroAV  continent 
of  his  single   heart.     And  will  the 
scornful  men  have  no  sympathy  for 
one  so  conditioned,  but  scorn  him 
because  he  ruled  not  with  constant 
quietness  the  unruly  host  of  divers 
natures  which  dwelt  within  his  single 
soul  ?  Of  self-command  surely  he  will 
not  be  held  deficient,  who  endured 
Saul's  javelin  to  be  so  often  launched 
at  him,  while  tlie  people  without  were 
willing  to  hail  him  king;  who  en- 
dured all  bodily  hardships  and  taunts 
of  his  enemies  when  revenge  was  in 
his  hand,   and  ruled  his   desperate 
band  like  a  company  of  saints,  and 
restrained  them  from  their  country's 


injury.     But  that  he  should  not  be 
able  to  enact  all  characters  without  a 
fault,  —  the  simple  shepherd,  the  con- 
quering hero,  and  the  romantic  lover ; 
the  perfect  friend,  the  innocent  out- 
law, and  the  royal  monarch ;  the  po- 
et, the  prophet,  and  the  regenerator 
of  the  church  ;  and  withal  the  man, 
the  man  of  vast  soul,  who  played  not 
these  parts  by  turn,  but  was  the  origi- 
nal of  them  all,  and  wholly  present 
in  them  all, —  O !  that  he  should  have 
fulfilled  this  high-priesthood  of  hu- 
manity, this   universal   ministry   of 
manhood,    without    an    error,    were 
more  than  human.      With  tlie  de- 
fence of  his  backslidings,  which  he 
hath  himself  more  keenly  scrutinized, 
more  clearly  discerned  against,  and 
more  bitterly  lamented,  than  any  of 
his  censors,  we  do  not  charge  our- 
selves ;  but  if,  when  of  these  acts  he 
became  convinced,  he  be  found  less 
true  to  God  and  to  righteousness,  in- 
disposed to  repentance,  and  sorrow, 
and  anguish,  exculpatory  of  himself, 
stout-hearted  in  his  courses,  a  formal- 
ist in  his  penitence,  or  in  any  way 
less   worthy  of  a  spiritual   man  in 
those  than  in  the  rest  of  his  infinite 
moods,  —  then,  verily,  strike  him  from 
the  canon,  and  let  his  Psalms  become 
monkish  legends,  or  what  you  please. 
But  if  these  penitential  Psalms  dis- 
cover the  soul's  deepest  hell  of  ago- 
ny, and  lay  bare  the  iron  ribs  of  mis- 
ery, whereon  the  very  heart  dissolv- 
eth ;  and  if  they,  expressing  the  same 
in  Avords,  melt  the  soul  that  conceiv- 
eth,  and  bow  the  head  that  uttereth 
them,  then,  we  say,  let  us  keep  tliese 
records  of  tlie  psalmist's  grief  and 
despondency  as  tlie  most  precious  of 
his  utterances,  and  sure  to  be  needed 
in  the  case  of  every  man  who  essay- 
eth  to  live  a  spiritual  life."     The  fol- 
lowing words,  hardly  sentences,  are 
from  Carlyle.     "  David,  the  Hebrew 


196 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


man  after  mine  own  heart,  which  shall  fulfil  all  my  will.     Of  this  23 
man's  seed  hath  God,  according  to  his  promise,  raised  unto  Israel 
a  Saviour,   Jesus :    when  John  had  first   preached,   before  his  24 
coming,  the  baptism  of  repentance  to  all  the  people  of  Israel. 
And  as  John  fulfilled  his  course,  he  said,  Who  think  ye  that  I  25 
am  ?     I  am  not  he.     But  behold,  there  cometh  one  after  me, 
whose  shoes  of  his  feet  I  am  not  worthy  to  loose.     Men  and  26 
brethren,  children   of  the   stock   of  Abraham,   and   whosoever 
among  you  feareth  God,  to  y©u  is  the  word  of  this  salvation 


king,  had  fallen  into  sins  enough ; 
blackest  crimes  ;  there  was  no  want 
of  sins.  And  thereupon  the  unbe- 
lievers sneer  and  ask,  Is  this  your 
man  according  to  God's  heart  ?  The 
sneer,  I  must  say,  seems  to  me  but  a 
shallow  one.  What  are  faults,  what 
are  the  outward  details  of  a  life,  if 
the  inner  secret  of  it,  the  remorse, 
temptations,  true,  often-baffled,  nev- 
er-ended struggle  of  it,  be  forgotten  ? 
'  It  is  not  in  man  that  walketh  to  di- 
rect his  steps.'  Of  all  acts,  is  not, 
for  a  man,  repentance  the  most  di- 
vine ?  The  deadliest  sin,  I  say,  were 
that  same  supercilious  consciousness 
of  no  sin  ;  —  that  is  death ;  the  heart 
so  conscious  is  divorced  from  sincer- 
ity, humility,  and  fact ;  is  dead  :  it  is 
'pure'  as  dead,  dry  sand  is  pure. 
David's  life  and  history,  as  written 
for  us  in  those  Psalms  of  his,  I  con- 
sider to  be  the  truest  emblem  ever 
given  of  a  man's  moral  progi-ess  and 
warfare  here  below.  All  earnest 
souls  will  ever  discern  in  it  the  faith- 
ful struggle  of  an  earnest  human  soul 
towards  what  is  good  and  best.  Strug- 
gle often  baffled,  sore  baffled,  down 
as  into  entire  wreck ;  yet  a  struggle 
never-ended ;  ever,  with  tears,  re- 
pentance, true,  unconquerable  pur- 
pose, begun  anew.  Poor  human  na- 
ture !  Is  not  a  man's  walking,  in 
truth,  always  that  ?  '  a  succession  of 
falls.'  Man  can  do  no  other.  In 
this  wild  element  of  a  life,  he  has  to 
struggle  onwards  ;  now  fallen,  deep- 
abased  ;   and  ever,    with  tears,    re- 


pentance, with  bleeding  heart,  he  has 
to  rise  again,  struggle  again  still  on- 
wards. That  his  struggle  be  a  faith- 
ful, unconquerable  one :  that  is  the 
question  of  questions." 

23.  Of  this  man's  seed,  8fc.  Agree- 
ably to  the  prediction.  Is.  xi.  1  - 10 : 
'•  And  there  shall  come  forth  a  rod 
out  of  tlie  stem  of  J  esse,  and  a  branch 
shall  grow  out  of  his  roots,"  &c. 
The  whole  tenor  of  prophecy  was, 
that  the  Messiah  would  be  the  son 
of  David.  —  Raised  unto  Isi'ael.  Un- 
to Israel  first,  but  not  exclusively. 
Griesbach  reads  "  brought,"  instead 
of  "  raised." —  A  Saviour,  Jesus.  See 
note  on  Mat.  i.  21. 

24,  25.  When  John  had  first 
preached,  before  his  coming,  i.  e.  be- 
fore the  mission  of  Jesus,  John  had 
already  preached  the  baptism  of  re- 
pentance, or  proclaimed  a  moral  ref- 
ormation of  the  people,  of  which 
baptism  was  the  sign  and  seal.  Mat. 
iii. ;  Mark  i.  —  As  John  fulfilled  his 
course.  Or,  better,  "  while  John  was 
fulfilling  his  course ; "  a  metaphor 
taken  from  the  ancient  games  of 
running  in  the  stadium.  —  /  am  not 
he,  S,T.  Luke  iii.  16;  John  i.  20. 
The  humility  and  disinterestedness 
of  these  words  give  us  an  impressive 
idea  of  the  elevated  virtue  and  holy 
integrity  of  tlie  Baptist.  Paul  wise- 
ly introduced  the  testimony  of  John, 
because  the  people  entertained  a 
great  reverence  for  him,  believing 
him  to  be  a  true  prophet. 

20.  Men  and  brethren,  i.  e.  without 


XIU.l 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


197 


27  sent.  For  they  that  dwell  at  Jerusalem,  and  their  rulers,  because 
they  knew  him  not,  nor  yet  the  voices  of  the  prophets  which  are 
read  every  Sabbath  day,  they  have  fulfilled  them  in  condemning 

28  him.     And   though  they  found  no  cause  of  death  in  him,  yet 

29  desired  they  Pilate  that  he  should  be  slain.  And  when  they  had 
fulfilled  all  that  was  written  of  him,  they  took  him  down  from 


the  idiom, "  brethren."  —  Children  of 
the  stock,  ^c,  i.  e.  Jews.  —  Whosoever 
among  you  jeareth  God,  i.  e.  prose- 
lytes of^  the  Gentiles.  It  has  been 
observed  that  Paul  does  not,  at  this 
time,  declare  the  accession  of  the 
Gentiles  to  the  privileges  of  the  Mes- 
siah, since  it  Avould  only  excite  their 
prejudices  before  the  truth  could 
gain  a  foothold  in  their  minds.  — 
The  word  of  this  salvation  is  sent.  Or, 
the  message  or  doctrine  of  this  sal- 
vation ;  so  denominated  because,  by 
it,  a  sinful  world  would  be  redeemed 
from  its  guilt  and  miseries,  and  a  way 
of  reconciliation  and  peace  with  God 
opened  to  the  returning  penitent. 

27.  They  thai  dwell  at  Jerusalem, 
&i'c.  The  crime  of  rejecting  the 
Messiah,  and  putting  him  to  death, 
particularly  rested  upon  the  inhabit- 
ants and  rulers  of  the  holy  city. 
Paul  hints  that  the  Jews  of  Antioch 
were  as  yet  innocent,  and  it  behoved 
them  to  beware  implicating  them- 
selves in  the  iniquity  of  their  coun- 
trymen. —  Kiiew  him  not,  S,'c.,  i.  e. 
did  not  recognize  or  acknowledge 
him  as  the  Messiah.  This  was  the 
only  mitigation  of  their  offence. 
Luke  xxiii.  *M.  They  were,  how- 
ever, answerable  for  their  ignorance, 
for  if  they  had  not  chosen  darkness, 
tliey  might  have  seen  the  true  light. 
Obstinacy,  prejudice,  suppression  of 
their  real  convictions,  had  plunged 
them  into  voluntary  night. —  Proph- 
ets which  are  real  every  Sabbath  day. 
A  portion  of  the  prophets  was  read 
every  week,  in  connexion  with  the 
regal ar  lesson  in  the  law.  See  note 
on  ver.  15.  But  although  the  proph- 
17* 


ecies  were  read,  they  were  not  un- 
derstood —  a  fact  true  to  this  day,  so 
far  as  the  JeAvs  are  concerned.  If 
any  thing  is  more  important  than  the 
reading  of  the  word  of  God,  it  is  that 
it  should  be  understood.  —  They  have 
fidfiUed,  ^-c.  The  Jews  unwittingly 
fulfilled  the  old  predictions  by  their 
condemnation  of  their  Messiah  ;  for 
it  had  been  intimated  that  he  would 
be  "  a  man  of  sorrows,  and  acquaint- 
ed with  grief."  Luke  xxiv.  44-46  ; 
Is.  liii.  3. 

28.  Though  they  found  no  cause 
of  death,  i.  e.  no  just  cause.  This 
circumstance  gave  the  darkest  hue 
of  guilt  to  their  conduct.  They  put 
an  innocent  being  to  the  most  dread- 
ful death.  Although  tliey  changed 
the  gi'ound  of  accusation,  first  char- 
ging him  with  blasphemy,  a  religious, 
and  then  with  sedition,  a  political, 
offence  ;  summoned  false  witnesses ; 
adjured  the  prisoner  himself,  and 
used  every  art  which  malice  could 
devise,  or  tyranny  could  execute; 
yet  his  betrayer,  judges,  execution- 
ers, and  the  spectators,  all  agreed, 
with  singular  unanimity,  that  he  died 
a  death  of  fearful  injustice.  Mat. 
xxvii.  4 ;  Luke  xxiii.  14,  15,  22,  27, 
47,  48. 

29.  Fulfilled  all.  See  Luke  xxiv. 
26,  27;  John  xix.  SO.— They  took 
him  down,  ^-c,  i.  e.  he  was  taken 
down  ;  or  those  who  put  him  to  death 
were  instrumental  of  his  being  taken 
down,  or  of  all  the  consequences 
which  followed  his  deatli ;  Luke  xxiii. 
53 ;  though  Joseph  and  Nicodemus, 
with  their  friends,  not  the  rulers  and 
soldiers,  actually  performed  the  fu- 


198 


THE  ACTS 


[ClIAP. 


the  tree,  and  laid  him  in  a  sepulchre.     But  God  raised  him  from  30 
the  dead:    and  he  was  seen  many  days  of  them  which  came  up  31 
with  him  from  Galilee  to  Jerusalem,  who  are  his  witnesses  unto 
the  people.     And  we  declare  unto  you  glad  tidings,  how  that  the  32 
promise  which  was  made  unto  the  fathers,  God  hath  fulfilled  the  33 
same  unto  us  their   children,  in  that  he  hath   raised  up  Jesus 
again  J    as  it  is  also  written  in  the  second  psalm,  Thou  art  my 
Son,  this  day  have  I  begotten  thee.     And  as  concerning  that  he  34 
raised  him  up  from  the  dead,  now  no  more  to  return  to  corrup- 
tion, he  said  on  this  wise,  I  will  give  you  the  sure  mercies  of 
David.     Wherefore  he  ^aith  also  in  another  psalm,  Thou  shalt  35 
not  suffer  thy  Holy  One  to  see  corruption.     For  David,  after  he  36 
had  served  his  own  generation  by  the  will  of  God,  fell  on  sleep, 
and  was  laid  unto  his  fathers,  and  saw  corruption  :  but  he,  whom  37 


neral  rites.  —  The  tree.     The  cross. 

30,  31.  But  God  raised  him,  S,-c. 
But  he  met  Avith  different  treatment 
from  God,  who  restored  him  to  hfe, 
and  vindicated  his  cause.  The  mir- 
acle of  the  resurrection  is  always  at- 
tributed directly  to  the  agency  of 
God.  —  Seen  mxtmj  days,  ^'c.  Forty 
days.  The  strongest  possible  evi- 
dence of  the  reality  of  his  return  to 
life  was  afforded  by  his  being  seen 
by  many  and  few,  in  different  places, 
during  a  considerable  period,  per- 
forming various  actions,  and  uttering 
lessons  such  as  belonged  only  to 
him  to  speak  and  do  ;  and,  finally,  by 
his  disappearance  into  the  heavens, 
in  open  day,  from  his  gazing  disci- 
ples.    Chap.  i.  1-11;  x.  41. 

32,  33.  Glad  tidings,  how  that  the 
promise.  It  was  a  matter  of  joy  to 
the  Jews  that  the  Messiah  had  come, 
for  they  regarded  him  as  the  deliv- 
erer of  their  nation,  and  every  heart 
beat  with  impatience  for  tlie  estab- 
lishment of  his  kingdom.  —  Raised  up 
Jesus  again.  Or,  simply,  "raising 
up,"  or  appointing  Jesus  as  the  Mes- 
siah. Not  the  resurrection,  but  the 
original  ordination  of  Jesus  as  the 
Messiah,  is  here  described.  —  In  the 
second  psalm.    Ps.  ii.  7.     Griesbach 


and  many  other  critics  read,  "the 
first  psalm;"  because  the  first  psalm 
was  formerly  reckoned  by  the  Jews 
as  a  preface,  and  the  second  stood  as 
the  first ;  or  the  first  two  psalms  were 
reckoned  as  one,  and  the  passage 
here  quoted  was  thus  included  in  the 
first  —  Thou  art  my  son,  ^x.  Spoken 
of  the  relation  between  God  and  the 
Messiah,  who,  as  the  vicegerent  of 
God,  is  figuratively  called  his  Son, 
and  Avliom,  therefore,  he  is  figura- 
tively said  to  beget,  i.  e.  to  appoint, 
to  declare  as  a  king.  Heb.  i.  5,  v.  5. 
34-37.  ^'Is  concerning  that  he 
raised  him  up  from  the  dead.  Here 
is  reference  to  tlie  resurrection.  Ver. 
30.  —  JVo  more  to  return  to  corrup- 
tion. The  body  of  Christ  had  not 
been  in  corruption  at  all,  as  it  was 
raised  before  decomposition ;  but  this 
expression  is  used  with  relation  to 
dying  again,  and  being  buried.  Christ 
had  been  raised  to  an  immortal  life. 
—  /  loUl  give  you  the  sure  mercies  of 
David.  See  Is.  Iv.  3.  What  is  here 
meant  is,  tlie  promise  that  the  line  of 
David  should  be  continued  on  the 
throne  forever,  which  was  spiritually 
fulfilled  in  the  everlasting  kingdom 
of  Christ.  The  ratification  of  this 
covenant  was  sealed  by  the  resur- 


XIIL] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


\99 


38  God  raised  again,  saw  no  corruption.     Be  it  known  unto  you 
therefore,  men  and  brethren,  that  through  this  man  is  preached 

39  unto  you  the  forgiveness  of  sins;  and  by  him  all  that  believe  are 
justified  from  all  things,  from  which  ye  could  not  be  justified  by 


rection  of  our  Lord  from  the  dead ; 
for  had  he  not  been  raised  up,  the 
promise  would  have  been  broken.  — 
In  another  psalm.  Ps.  xvi.  10.  See 
an  explanation  of  this  and  the  fol- 
lowing sentences  in  chap.  ii.  25  -  34, 
and  the  notes  thereon.  God  did  not 
suffer  the  lineage  of  David  to  fail,  but 
preserved  his  successors  to  the  time 
of  Jesus,  raised  liim  up  as  the  eter- 
nal King  of  Israel,  and  thus  made 
sure  to  him  the  mercies  which  he 
hid  promised  of  old.  This  coiu-se 
of  arguing  was  well  adapted  to  pro- 
duce a  vivid  impression  upon  the 
Jews,  and  to  convince  them  of  the 
reality  of  Christ's  advent,  and  the 
sinfulness  of  opposing  his  claims.  — 
Served  his  own  generation.  Or,  bet- 
ter, "served  or  performed  the  will  of 
God  in  his  age  or  day ; "  which  he 
did  by  the  energy  with  which  he 
maintained  the  worship  of  God,  and 
suppressed  the  idolatrous  tendencies 
of  his  people.  —  Fell  on  sleep.  Or, 
slept ;  or,  died.  —  JVas  laid  unto  his 
fathers.  An  allusion  to  the  manner 
of  burying  in  the  East,  by  which  a 
whole  family  or  lineage  were  succes- 
sively buried  in  the  same  tomb  or 
catacomb,  until  it  was  filled  with 
dead  bodies.  —  Saw  no  corruption. 
The  case  of  Jesus  was  to  be  distin- 
guished from  other  individuals  who 
ii  id  been  raised  from  the  dead,  as 
Lazarus,  and  the  widow's  son  of 
Nain;  for  they  died  again,  and  re- 
turned to  corruption,  but  he  rose  to 
the  spiritual  world,  and  entered  Avith- 
in  the  veil,  where  decay  and  death 
cannot  come.  The  prophecies,  and 
the  preaching  of  John  the  Baptist,  all 
bore  united  and  irresistible  testimo- 
ny to  his  Messiahship,  and  the  duty 
of  belief  and  obedience. 


38,  39.  Men  and  brethren.  Breth- 
ren.—  Is  preached  unto  you  the  for- 
giveness of  sins.  Luke  xxiv.  47. 
Men  are  sinners.  They  are  all  sick 
with  a  moral  disease.  The  gospel  is 
the  remedy,  and  Christ  the  Physician. 
For  he  encourages  men  to  repent  by 
the  assurance  of  pardon.  He  reveals 
the  rich  mercy  of  God  to  every  re- 
turning sinner.  He  cherishes  the 
holy  desire  of  reconciliation  and 
peace,  breaks  not  the  bruised  reed 
of  a  penitential  emotion,  nor  quench- 
es tlie  smoking  flax  of  a  heaven- 
lifled  aspiration  ready  to  burst  into  a 
pure  flame.  He  treats  men  as  they 
are,  meets  them  on  their  own  level, 
and  shows  tliem  the  awful  nature  and 
consequences  of  their  transgressions ; 
but  bids  them,  nevertheless,  hope, 
with  full  assurance  in  God,  as  a 
Father,  ready  to  help  them  escape 
the  toils  and  snares  of  sin,  merciful 
to  forgive,  and  plenteous  in  redemp- 
tion. Here  lies  the  secret  of  the 
power  and  salvation  of  the  gospel. 
It  shows  us  that  God  loves  us,  loves 
us  even  in  our  sins,  cannot  consent 
that  we  should  perish,  pleads  with  us 
in  a  voice  of  parental  tenderness,  but 
of  Avarning ;  and  has,  in  giving  us  his 
Son  to  live  and  die  for  us,  demon- 
strated more  powerfully  than  words 
could  do,  that,  if  we  would  not  be 
dead  to  all  that  is  good,  and  true,  and 
fair,  and  quench  tlie  great  immortal 
hope  of  our  being,  we  must  cast  away 
every  sin,  and  turn  to  him  and  live. 
—  All  that  believe  are  justified  from 
all  things,  ^*c.  We  here  alight,  for 
the  first  time,  on  the  Pauline  idea  of 
Justification,  the  grand  key  to  the 
epistles,  the  central  principle  of  this 
apostle's  faitli,  and  the  characteristic 
of  his  whole  religious  system.  ^  He 


»dO 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


the  law  of  Moses.     Beware  therefore,  lest  that  come  upon  you  40 
which  is  spoken  of  in  the  prophets ;   Behold,  ye  despisers,  and  41 
wonder,  and  perish :    for  I  work  a  work  in  your  days,  a  work 
which  ye  shall    in  no    wise  believe,  though  a  man    declare  it 
unto  you. 


contrasted  here,  as  he  did  through 
several  of  his  epistles,  the  gospel 
with  the  law  of  Moses.  The  law 
was  a  rigid  master ;  it  exacted  the 
utmost  penalty  for  every  sin.  It  was 
sternly  just.  But  it  dealt  with  ex- 
ternals ;  it  walked  by  sight.  It  pre- 
scribed this  offering,  or  that  sacrifice, 
for  the  wrong-doer,  and  the  heart 
might  still  be  far  away  from  true 
penitence,  though  the  outward  act 
was  performed  to  a  punctilio.  The 
law,  then,  could  not  justify  a  sinner. 
It  was  not  to  be  expected,  for  that 
was  not  its  leading  aim.  It  was  a 
ritual,  a  schoolmaster,  a  disciplina- 
rian, to  clear  the  way  for  higher  truth, 
and  a  holier  service.  A  man  might, 
as  the  Pharisees  did,  perfonu  every 
item  of  legal  requirement,  so  far  as 
outward  exercises  were  concerned, 
and  yet  be  a  veiy  sepulchre,  as  they 
were,  of  moral  rottenness  and  death. 
But  the  gospel,  according  to  Paul, 
emphasized  faith,  a  moral,  spiritual 
sentiment  of  the  heart,  as  alone  en- 
titling man  to  be  justified,  or  treated 
as  just  by  God.  He  had  come  un- 
der a  new  and  advanced  teacher, 
Christ,  who  had  to  do  with  the  heart, 
Avhose  eye  pierced  the  motives  of 
conduct,  and  judged  the  character 
like  the  all-seeing  God.  The  law 
was  "  weak,"  as  the  apostle  else- 
where says;  it  did  not  appeal,  like 
the  message  of  the  Crucified  One,  to 
the  heart.  It  did  not  justify  the  sin- 
ner, because  it  could  not  so  power- 
fully help  him  to  repent  of  his  sins, 
and  fulfil  the  single  condition  of  jus- 
tification, viz.,  Repenta>xe  and 
Reformation.  If  a  Jew  did,  by 
any  means,  repent,  however,  he  was 
pardoned  as  much  as  a  Christian  is 


now.  See  Ezek.  xviii.  xxxiii.  But 
faith,  full,  undoubting  confidence  in 
Christ,  justifies  the  transgressor,  be- 
cause it  works  a  moral  revolution  in 
his  character,  assures  him  of  the 
goodness  of  God,  and  convinces  him 
that,  if  he  still  suffers  some  of  the 
consequences  of  his  sins,  even  after 
repentance,  yet  that  God  has  can- 
celled others,  and  will  treat  and  love 
him  as  his  child,  as  if  he  had  never 
strayed,  and  will  open  to  him  the 
whole  heaven  of  love  and  blessed- 
ness, and  bid  the  angels  rejoice  over 
his  recovery.     Rom.  viii.  1. 

40,  41.  Beware  therefore,  ^'c.  Prob- 
ably Luke  gives  only  the  leading 
ideas  of  Paul's  address,  not  the  Avhole, 
word  for  word.  These  two  verses 
contain  the  sum  of  the  whole  matter, 
tlie  conclusion  from  all  the  foregoing 
reasoning,  viz.,  the  importance  of 
heeding  the  heaven  sent  Teacher, 
and  the  ruin  of  disobedience.  —  In 
the  prophets.  The  twelve  minor 
prophets,  from  Hosea  to  Malachi, 
were  reckoned  by  the  Jews  as  one 
book,  and  hence  the  quotation  is  said 
to  be  taken  from  the  prophets.  See 
Ilab.  i.  5.  —  Behold,  ye  despisers,  ^t. 
The  warning  in  Habakkuk  was  di- 
rected to  the  Jews,  in  view  of  the  ap- 
proaching destruction  of  their  nation 
by  the  Chaldeans;  and  the  predic- 
tion was  fulfilled  in  the  Babylonish 
captivity.  Paul  quotes  this  passage 
as  highly  appropriate  to  the  circum- 
stances of  his  hearers,  who  would 
witness,  in  their  day,  a  retribution 
of  the  most  terrible  kind  inflicted  by 
the  Romans  upon  the  Jewish  nation. 
—  A  ivork  which  yov  shall  in  no  imse 
believe,  ^'c.  It  was  so  incredible  that 
their  city  and  temple  could  be  de- 


XIIL] 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


201 


42  And  when  the  Jews  were  gone  out  of  the  synagogue,  the 
Gentiles  besought  that  these  words  might  be  preached  to  them 

43  the  next  Sabbath.  Now,  when  the  congregation  was  broken 
up,  many  of  the  Jews  and  religious  proselytes  followed  Paul  and 
Barnabas;  who,  speaking  to  them,  persuaded  them  to  continue  in 

4t  the  grace  of  God.     And  the  next  Sabbath  day  came  almost  the 

45  whole  city  together  to  hear  the  word  of  God. But  when  the 

Jews  saw  the  multitudes,  they  were  filled  with  envy,  and  spake 
against  those  things  which  were  spoken  by  Paul,  contradicting 


stroyed,  that  the  strongest  assertions 
of  Christ  and  his  apostles  produced 
no  effect  upon  the  people,  but  they 
madly  rushed  on,  in  their  career  to 
ruin,  with  an  irresistible  momentum. 
As  a  matter  of  history,  it  is  well 
known  that  all  the  disciples  of  Jesus, 
giving  heed  to  his  warnings,  escaped 
tiie  destruction  which  overtook  the 
immense  mass  of  their  countrymen. 

42.  The  Jews  —  the  Gentiles.  These 
words  are  expunged  from  the  text 
by  Griesbach  and  other  trustworthy 
critics,  and  the  verse  reads  thus: 
"  And  when  they,  i.  e,  the  apostles, 
were  gone  out,  the  people  besought 
that  these  words  might  be  preached 
to  them  the  next  Sabbath,"  i.  e.  the 
Jewish  Sabbath,  corresponding  to  our 
Saturday.  The  address  of  Paul  had 
left  so  deep  and  favorable  an  impres- 
sion, that  they  wished  to  hear  further 
of  the  matter.  The  text  of  the  pas- 
sage, in  the  original,  is,  however,  so 
uncertain,  that  some  commentators 
are  disposed  to  cancel  the  whole  as  a 
gloss  which  has  crept  in  from  the 
margin  ;  but  tliat  conjecture  is  unau- 
thorized. 

43.  WTven  the  congregation  was 
broken  up.  Literally,  and  better,  as 
avoiding  the  expression  of  any  idea 
of  violence,  "when  the  synagogue 
was  dissolved."  —  The  Jews  and  re- 
ligious proselytes.  Here,  again,  as 
in  ver.  16,  the  two  classes  are  spoken 
of,  viz.,  Hebrews  and  Gentile  pros- 
elytes. —  Persuaded  them  to  continue 
in  the  grace  of  God.     Or,  exhorted 


them  to  remain  faithful  to  their  be- 
lief in  the  gospel,  which  fully  re- 
vealed the  grace  or  favor  of  God,  his 
mercy  to  the  returning  sinner,  and 
his  interest  in  the  Gentiles.  The 
apostle  here  struck  upon  a  very  prac- 
tical point,  the  necessity  of  continuing 
in  the  right  way,  as  well  as  of  enter- 
ing into  it  at  first  Multitudes  have 
a  period  of  interest  in  religion,  yet, 
alas !  do  not  persevere  in  the  use  of 
means  and  a  steady  cultivation  of 
the  Christian  character ;  but  lose  their 
first  love,  backslide,  and  their  last 
state  is  worse  than  the  first,  because 
they  are  with  more  difficulty  renewed 
in  the  temper  of  their  minds.  "  If  ye 
continue  in  my  word,"  said  our  Mas- 
ter, "  then  are  ye  my  disciples  in- 
deed." John  viii.  31  ;  Acts  xiv.  22. 
44,  45.  The  next  Sabbath  day.  See 
ver.  42,  where  the  word  "  next "  is  a 
different  one  in  the  original  from  that 
used  in  this  verse,  though  the  sense 
is  essentially  the  same.  —  Mmost  the 
whole  city.  For  it  was  not  a  very 
large  place.  Both  Jews  and  Gen- 
tiles gathered  to  the  same  assembly. 
—  When  the  Jews  saw,  Sfc.  It  excit- 
ed their  envy  to  see  Gentiles  flock- 
ing to  the  apostles,  and  treated  by 
them  as  on  terms  of  equality  with 
the  chosen  people,  and  admitted  to 
the  privilege  of  passing  tlieir  judg- 
ment upon  the  claims  of  the  Messiah. 
The  same  envy  afterwards  broke  out, 
and  it  constituted,  all  through  the 
apostolic  age,  one  of  the  greatest  ob- 
stacles to  the  progress  of  truth  among 


m& 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


and  blaspheming.     Then  Paul  and  Barnabas  waxed  bold,  and  46 
said,  It  was  necessary  that  the  word  of  God  should  first  have 
been  spoken  to  you :   but  seeing  ye  put  it  from  you,  and  judge 
yourselves  unworthy  of  everlasting  life,  lo,  we  turn  to  the  Gen- 
tiles :  for  so  hath  the  Lord  commanded  us,  saying,  I  have  set  thee  47 
to  be  a  light  of  the  Gentiles,  that  thou  shouldest  be  for  salvation 
unto   the   ends  of  the  earth.      And  when  the  Gentiles  heard  48 
this,  they  were  glad,  and  glorified  the  word  of  the  Lord :   and  as 


the  Jews.  —  Contradicting  and  hlas- 
pheming.  They  were  not  content  to 
use  the  weapons  of  reason  and  truth, 
but  showed  the  weakness  of  their 
cause  by  resorting  to  abuse  and  im- 
piety —  a  practice  which  has  found 
too  many  counterparts  among  con- 
troversialists of  every  age.  Chap, 
xvii.  5. 

46,  47.  Waxed  hold,  and  said.  Or, 
using  great  freedom  of  speech,  they 
said.  See  chap.  iv.  13.  So  far  from 
being  daunted  by  the  furious  opposi- 
tion which  beat  upon  them,  they  rose 
with  the  rising  storm,  and  still  showed 
themselves  to  be  the  fearless  servants 
of  the  Great  Master.  —  That  the  word 
of  God  shoidd  first  have  been  spoken 
to  you.  Mat.  x.  5,  6  ;  Rom.  x.  19  -21 ; 
Acts  xxii.  21.  The  Jews,  as  the 
recipients  and  pupils  of  the  earlier 
dispensation,  were  entitled  to  have 
the  first  offer  of  the  gospel.  —  Judge 
yourselves  unworthy.  This  is  irony. 
They  did  not  judge  themselves  un- 
worthy, but  they  behaved  as  if  they 
did  ;  they  virtually  declared,  by  tlieir 
conduct,  that  they  were  not  worthy  to 
receive  so  blessed  a  boon  as  the  gift 
of  a  Messiah,  and  the  promise  of 
everlasting  life.  —  Lo  !  ive  turn  to 
the  Gentiles.  The  moral  courage, 
and  grandeur  of  sentiment,  con- 
tained in  these  words,  can  be  but 
feebly  understood  by  us  now,  after 
that  great  controversy  between  Jew- 
ish bigotry  and  gospel  liberty  has 
passed  away  ;  but  when  we  consider 
the  original  education  of  Paul,  as 
one  of  the  straitest  of  the  straitest 


sect,  and  the  violent  prejudices,  not 
only  of  his  enemies,  but  even  of  his 
Christian  converts  and  companions, 
against  the  admission  of  the  Gentiles 
to  any  equality  of  Christian  privileges 
with  the  Jews,  we  shall  feel  that  the 
apostle  spoke  as  no  ordinary  hero.  — 
The  Lord  commanded  us,  ^c.  Paul 
fortified  his  position  by  the  bulwark 
of  Scripture.  He  professed  to  be 
guided  by  the  express  will  of  God. 
He  was  acting  in  conformity  to  the 
great  original  plan  of  the  Almighty. 
—  /  have  set  thee  to  be,  4'c.  Refer  to 
Is.  xlix.  6.  It  is  evident,  by  refer- 
ence to  the  passage,  that  the  Gen- 
tiles were  included  in  the  promised 
blessings  of  a  new  order  of  things, 
under  the  expected  Deliverer.  The 
enlarged  spirit  of  the  prophets  re- 
buked the  contracted  temper  of  that 
generation. 

48.  They  were  glad,  and  glorified 
the  word,  ^'c.  The  contrast  betAveen 
the  narrowness  of  tlie  Jews  and  tlie 
generous  sentiments  of  Paul  was  too 
plain  to  be  overlooked.  The  Gen- 
tiles glorified  or  extolled  the  passage 
of  Scripture  which  had  been  quoted 
by  the  apostle,  for  it  was  an  unan- 
swerable argument  against  the  Jews. 
As  many  as  ivere  ordained,  ^'c.  This 
rendering  is  bad,  and  the  inferences 
often  drawn  from  it  totally  groundless 
and  presumptuous.  The  true  ver- 
sion is,  "  As  many  as  were  disposed, 
bent  on,  or  inclined  to,  eternal  life, 
believed."  "Eternal  life"  is  used 
for  the  gospel  itself,  of  which  it  is 
the  vital  doctrine,  and  the  sublime 


XIII.]  OF  THE  APOSTLES.  203 

49  ni'^ny  as  were  ordained  to  eternal  life,  believed.     And  the  word 


promise.     The  readiness  of  the  Gen- 
tiles to  welcome  the  gospel,  is  com- 
pared with  the  obstinacy  and  envy  of 
the  Jews  in  ver.  46.     The  one  party 
put  it  from  them,  the  other  were  glad 
to  receive  it ;  the  one  judged  them- 
selves unworthy  of  everlasting  life, 
the  other  glorified  the  word  which 
contained  so  vast  a  boon,  and  were 
disposed  to  seek  and  secure  it.     But 
if  the  doctrine  of  Paul  was,  that  God 
had  foreordained  and  decreed  a  part 
of  mankind  to  salvation,  and  passed 
by  the  rest,  and  the  larger  part,  and 
"ordained    them,"   to   use   the   lan- 
guage of  the  Westminster  Assem- 
bly, "  to  dishonor  and  wrath  for  their 
sin,  to  the  praise  of  his  glorious  jus- 
tice," tlien  it  would  hardly  have  been 
a  matter  of  gladness  with  the  Gen- 
tiles, for  it  was  a  worse  exclusive- 
ness    than    Jewish    nationality   and 
pride.      Some    individuals   of   their 
own  number  might  be  cut  off  from 
the  catalogue  of  mercy.     Then  the 
Jews,  who  resisted  the  apostles,  were 
not  responsible  for  their  conduct ;  for 
tliey  Avere  doing  precisely  what  God 
had  decreed,  from  the  foundation  of 
the  world,  they  should  do  ;  and  there 
was  no  reason  why  Paul  and   Bar- 
nabas should  desert  the  JeAvs,  and 
resort  to  the  Gentiles ;  for  some  of 
both  classes  were  ordained  accord- 
ing to   this    monstrous   theory,  and 
some  were  not ;  and  it  mattered  not 
in  which  field  they  worked,  if,  in- 
deed, all  their  labors  were  not  super- 
fluous.    And   if  the   Jews  and  the 
Gentiles  were  not  free  agents,  why 
did  the   apostles   exhort   and   warn 
them,  ver.  38-41,  as  if  they  were  at 
liberty  to  choose  their  own  way  ?   If 
tliey  were  already  decreed,  some  to 
certain   woe,  and   others  to  eternal 
salvation,  exclusively  of  all  eflforts  of 
tlieir  own,  then  preaching  to  them 
was  a  mockery ;   and  every  encour- 
agement was  only  to  tantalize  them 


with  hopes,  from  which  a  portion 
were  forever  debarred.  On  the  con- 
trary, Paul  treated  both  the  Jews  who 
rejected,  and  the  Gentiles  who  wel- 
comed, the  truth,  as  endowed  with 
freedom  of  choice,  and  amenable  for 
their  actions ;  and  he  praised  the 
one,  and  condemned  the  other.  There 
is  an  eternal  counsel  of  God,  but  it 
is  perfectly  consistent  with  the  power 
of  choice  on  the  part  of  every  moral 
agent.  Bloomfield,  in  speaking  of 
this  passage,  says,  that  "  so  far  from 
favoring  the  system  of  absolute  elec- 
tion, the  words  rather  support  the 
opposite  doctrine,  namely,  that  God, 
while 

" birding  Niiture  fast  in  Fate, 

Left  free  the  human  will  I  " 

And  Home,  in  his  Introduction,  re- 
marks, tliat  "  if  tlie  verse  had  been 
translated  according  to  the  proper 
meaning  of  the  original,  it  would  have 
run  thus :  '  As  many  as  were  disposed 
for  eternal  life,  believed.'  Which 
rendering  is  not  only  faithful  to  the 
original,  but  also  to  the  context  and 
scope  of  the  sacred  historian,  who  is 
relating  the  effects,  or  consequences, 
of  tlie  preaching  of  the  gospel  to  the 
Gentiles."  In  the  language  of  Ro- 
senmuller,  "  Paul  used  the  words  of 
common  life,  which  must  not  be  used 
to  cover  philosophical  and  metaphys- 
ical notions.  Nothing  is  here  in- 
tended respecting  absolute  decrees." 
So  Newcome,  in  harmony  witli  tlie 
Trinitarian  writers  above  quoted, 
says,  "./^5  7nanii  of  the  Gentiles  be- 
lieved as  were  inwardly  disposed  to 
receive  the  doctrine  of  everlasting 
life ;  as  had  an  orderly  and  well-pre- 
pared mind  for  that  purpose  ;  as  had 
disposed  themselves  to  it." 

49.  The  word  of  the  Lord.     Or, 
the  Christian  religion. — All  the  re- ^ 
gion,  i.  e.  in  Pisidia  and  the  adjoin- 
ing provinces. 


Si04 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap 


of  the  Lord  was  published  throughout  all  the  region. B#t  5C 

the  Jews  stirred  up  the  devout  and  honorable  women,  and  the 
chief  men  of  the  city,  and  raised  persecution  against  Paul  and 
Barnabas,  and  expelled  them  out  of  their  coasts.    But  they  shook  51 
off  the  dust  of  their  feet  against  them,  and  came  unto  Iconium. 
And  the  disciples  were  filled  with  joy  and  with  the  Holy  Ghost.  52 


50.  The  devout  and  honorable  wo- 
men. Neither  of  the  epithets  here 
used  expresses  any  thing  in  relation 
to  their  personal  character;  for  it 
would  have  been  singular  indeed,  if, 
in  that  case,  they  would  have  em- 
barked in  a  persecution  of  the  apos- 
tles. Devout  merely  refers  to  their 
being  proselytes,  and  honorable  to 
their  high  rank.  They  prevailed 
upon  their  influential  Geniile  rela- 
tives and  friends,  some  of  Avhom  M'ere 
in  the  government,  to  banish  the 
holy  missionaries  of  the  cross.  We 
often  find  woman,  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment, standing  on  the  Master's  side ; 
but  seldom,  a>s  here,  in  the  band 
of  his  enemies.  —  Coasts.  Borders, 
boundaries. 

51 .  Shook  off  the  dust.  Chap,  xviii. 
6 ;  Mat.  x.  14.  As  an  emblem  of 
their  disapprobation,  and  of  warning 
to  the  place,  as  if  they  regarded  it 
as  a  heathen  city.  No  fires  of  re- 
venge burned  in  the  breasts  of  these 
good  men,  but  they  turned  away  in 
pity,  in  a  soiTOwful  indignation,  from 
a  field  so  promising  at  first,  in  which 
they  hoped  to  have  planted  many  a 
living  seed  of  truth.  It  is  remark- 
able and  beautiful,  as  has  been  ob- 
served hereupon,  that  the  writings 
of  the  evangelists  and  apostles  are 
always  free  from  expressions  of  re- 
sentment. In  the  narrative  of  tlie 
persecution  and  death  of  Jesus,  and 
the  opposition  of  the  Jews  to  his 
apostles,  there  is  no  reproacliful  lan- 
guage used,  but  facts  are  simply 
stated,  and  left  to  speak  for  them- 
selves. No  history  in  the  world 
bears  such  luminous  evidences  of 
rnercy,  love,  good-will  to  all  men, 


even  to  tlie  evil  and  the  unthankful. 

—  Iconium.     See  notes  on  chap.  xiv. 
1,6. 

52.  The  disciples,  i.  e.  of  Antioch. 

—  With  joy,  and  ivith  the  Holy  Ghost. 
Such  were  the  fruits  of  the  apostles' 
labors.  Joy,  and  a  holy  and  powerful 
spiritual  influence,  followed  in  tlieir 
train.  Religion,  in  modern  times,  is 
often  so  much  allied  with  false  phi- 
losophy and  dark  and  degrading  hu- 
man dogmas,  that  she  wears  a  face 
very  unlike  her  radiant,  cheerful,  joy- 
ful expression  in  the  apostolic  age. 
Sfie  is  now,  too  frequently,  a  widow 
dressed  in  melancholy  mourning 
weeds,  not  a  celestial  queen  of  divine 
beauty  and  grace,  a  vision  of  heaven, 
whose  look  is  a  benediction.  Such 
she  was,  when  James  bled  and  Paul 
preached.  The  truths,  that  God  is 
our  Father,  and  man  our  brother,  and 
Jesus  our  Saviour,  and  heaven  our 
home,  ought  surely,  if  any  thing  in 
heaven  or  on  earth  can,  to  give  us 
joy  and  peace.  It  is  a  Christian  duty 
to  be  happy.  He  but  poorly  recom- 
mends his  faith,  or  makes  his  light 
shine,  avIio  carries  about  only  a  sul- 
len or  sanctimonious  visage,  not  the 
beaming  cheerfulness  of  a  happy, 
reconciled  heart.  The  gospel  is  a 
message  of  good  news ;  and  as  we 
brighten  up  with  glad  expressions 
of  voice,  look,  and  gesture,  at  receiv- 
ing good  tidings  from  our  friends,  — 
an  absent  father  or  brother,  —  so 
ought  we  to  rejoice,  and  again  re- 
joice, in  the  intelligence  from  our 
unseen  Father,  in  tlie  news  from  the 
higher,  heavenly  world.  If  we  would 
interest  the  young  in  religion,  we 
must  show  them,  in  our  daily  life,  the         | 


XIV.  i 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


205 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

The  Travels  and  Labors  of  Paul  and  Barnabas  in  Asia  Minor. 
And  it  came  to  pass  in  Iconium,  that  they  went  both  together 
into  the  synagogue  of  the  Jews,  and  so  spake,  that  a  great  mul- 

2  titude,  both  of  the  Jews,  and  also  of  the  Greeks,  believed.  But 
the  unbelieving  Jews  stirred  up  the  Gentiles,  and  made  their 

3  minds  evil-affected  against  the  brethren.  Long  time  therefore 
abode  they  speaking  boldly  in  the  Lord,  which  gave  testimony 
unto  the  word  of  his  grace,  and  granted  signs  and  wonders  to  be 


peace,  joy,  and  delight,  with  which 
it  fills  every  devout  bosom. 

"  '  Joy  to  those  that  love  the  Lord  ! ' 
Saith  the  sure,  eternal  word. 
Not  of  earth  the  joy  it  brings, 
Tempered  in  celestial  springs  : 
'Tis  the  joy  of  pardoned  sin 
When  we  feel  'tis  well  within  ; 
'Tis  the  joy  that  fills  the  breast 
When  the  passions  sink  to  rest." 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

1.  Iconium.  Chap.  xiii.  51.  This 
was  tlie  capital  of  Lycaonia,  though 
assigned  by  some  authors  to  Pisidia 
or  Phrygia,  situated  upon  the  Lake 
Troofilis,  about  120  miles  from  the 
Mediterranean  Sea.  See  note  on 
ver.  6.  It  is  in  a  delicious  climate, 
imbosomed  amidst  lofty  mountains, 
and  abounding  with  gardens  and 
meadows.  It  has  been  a  place  of 
considerable  distinction  in  history, 
and  capita]  of  the  country  of  Cara- 
mania.  Though  surrounded  by  Avails 
and  tOAvers,  and  adorned  with  edifices 
of  magnificence,  it  has  fallen  very 
much  into  ruins,  and  its  inhabitants 
live  in  that  squalid  wretchedness 
common  in  Turkish  cities.  Its  pres- 
ent name  is  Cogni,  or  Cornieh,  or 
Koniah.  —  So  spake,  i.  e.  with  such 
power.  —  Greeks.  The  Gentile  pros- 
elytes. 

2.  Gentiles,  i.  e.   those   not  Jews 

—  proselytes,  and  perhaps  heathen. 

—  Made  their  minds  evil-affected.  Or, 
imbittered;  incensed  them  against 
the  brethren,  or  disciples  of  Christ. 

\0L.   III.  18 


This  verse  should  be  included  in 
parentheses. 

3.  Therefore.  Or,  "  however,"  or, 
"  accordingly."  It  is  a  mere  particle 
of  transition,  not  of  conclusion  from 
premises.  As  a  great  multitude  be- 
lieved, ver.  1,  so  tliey  continued  a 
long  time,*  and  preached  with  great 
freedom.  —  Lord,  i.  e.  God.  —  Gave 
testimony  unto  the  ivord  of  his  grace, 
i.  e.  confirmed  by  miracles,  wrought 
by  the  apostles,  the  gracious  reve- 
lation of  mercy  and  truth  by  his  Son. 
The  paramount  object  of  the  mira- 
cles in  the  New  Testament  was  to 
establish  the  divine  authority  of  Je- 
sus and  his  apostles.  It  is  true  that 
they  were  usually,  though  not  al- 
ways,—  Avitness  the  destruction  of 
the  SAvine,  the  blindness  of  Elymas, 
and  tlie  death  of  Ananias  and  Sap- 
phira,  —  for  the  relief  of  suffering; 
but  this  was  their  incidental,  not 
tlieir  essential,  characteristic.  Their 
chief  attribute  of  benevolence  con- 
sisted, not  in  their  bringing  relief  to 
here  and  there  an  individual  at  tlie 
time,  but  in  being  Avrought  for  the 
establishment  of  that  religion  wliich 
would  cure  tlie  ills  of  time  and  en- 
hance the  joys  of  eternity ;  save  the 
sinner  from  his  guilt  and  Avoe,  and 
spread  love  and  peace  through  mil- 
lions of  hearts.  The  miracles  are 
the  effulgent  signatures  of  God's  in- 
terposing mercy  for  the  good  of  more 
than  flesh  and  blood  —  for  the  sake 
of  the  undying  soul. 


206  THE  ACTS  [Chap. 

done  by  their  hands.     But  the  multitude  of  the  city  was  divided  :  4 
and  part  held  with  the  Jews,  and  part  with  the  apostles.     And  5 
when  there  was  an  assault  made  both  of  the  Gentiles,  and  also 
of  the  Jews,  with  their  rulers,  to  use  them  despitefuUy,  and  to 
stone  them,  they  were  ware  of  it,   and  fled  unto  Lystra  and  6 
Derbe,  cities  of  Lycaonia,  and  unto  the  region  that  lieth  round 
about :  and  there  they  preached  the  gospel.  7 

And  there  sat  a  certain  man  at  Lystra,  impotent  in  his  feet,  8 
being  a  cripple  from  his  mother's  womb,  who  never  had  walked. 
The  same  heard  Paul   speak  :    who  steadfastly  beholding  him,  9 
and  perceiving  that  he  had  faith  to  be  healed,  said  with  a  loud  10 
voice,  Stand  upright  on  thy  feet.     And  he  leaped  and  walked. 


4,  5.  Was  divided.  Literally,  in 
the  original,  "  A  schism  was  made." 
—Held  with.  Or,  "Took  the  side 
of,"  &c.—  TAe  apostles.  Both  Paul 
and  Barnabas  are  called  apostles, 
though  the  title,  in  its  strict  sense,  is 
more  applicable  to  the  former.  —  JVas 
an  assault  made.  Not  actually  made, 
but  contemplated;  for  they  became 
aware  of  it,  and  escaped.  Ver.  6. 
The  majority  of  the  city,  probably, 
took  part  against  the  advocates  of 
truth.  But  the  unpopularity  of  a  cause 
is  no  sign  of  its  error.  Both  Jews 
and  Gentiles  combined  in  this  un- 
holy work,  though  the  gospel  was  a 
dispensation  of  mercy  to  the  latter 
as  much  as  to  the  former.  —  To  stone 
them.  The  penalty  of  blasphemy. 
Deut.  xiii.  10 ;  Acts  vii.  57  -  59. 

6.  Fled  unto  Lystra.  Mat.  x.  23. 
This  place  is  situated  in  the  south 
part  of  Lycaonia.  It  is  refen-ed  to, 
by  Pliny,  as  belonging  to,  the  prov- 
ince stated  in  tlie  text ;  but  Ptolemy 
assigns  it  to  Isauria.  The  fact  is, 
that  the  boundaries  of  these  districts 
were  indeterminate,  and  the  same 
cities  were  variously  appropriated. 
I^ystra  was  distinguished  as  the  na- 
tive town  of  Timotliy.  Chap.  xvi.  1. 
It  is  now  called  Latik.  —  Derhe. 
This  place  was  at  a  short  distance 
from  Lystra,  as  is  supposed,  though 
little  is  known  about  the  precise  lo- 


cation of  either  city.  —  Lycaonia 
was  an  inland  province  of  Asia 
Minor,  bounded  by  Cappadocia,  Phry- 
gia,  Pisidia,  Cilicia,  and  Isauria. 
Strabo,  tlie  geographer,  says,  while 
speaking  of  this  region,  "  Thence 
are  the  Lycaonian  hills,  plain,  cold, 
naked,  and  pastures  for  wild  asses. 
About  these  places  stands  Iconium, 
a  town  built  in  a  better  soil."  And 
Pliny  also  mentions,  "  that  there  was 
granted  a  tetrarchy  out  of  Lycaonia, 
on  that  side  which  borders  on  Gala- 
tia,  consisting  of  fourteen  cities  ;  the 
most  famous  of  which  is  Iconium." 

8.  There  srd.  "Meant,  it  should 
seem,  to  express,  graphically,  tlie  con- 
dition of  this  poor  Avretch,  who  had 
never  walked.^''  He  was,  probably,  a 
beggar,  sitting  in  some  public  place 
to  solicit  alms,  and,  tlierefore,  known 
to  many.  —  A  cripple.  Which,  ac- 
cording to  the  derivation  of  the  word 
from  creep,  signifies  one  who  could  not 
walk  upright  The  greatness  and 
certainty  of  his  cure  were  enhanced 
by  its  contrast  with  his  former  help- 
less state. 

9.  Heard  Paul  speak,  S^c.  Per- 
haps he  related  the  miracles  and 
cures  which  had  been  wrought,  ver. 
3,  in  other  places,  as  well  as  dis- 
coursed in  general  of  the  gospel. — 
Had  faith  to  be  healed.  "  The  di- 
vine in  the  appearance  and  discourse 


XIV.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


907 


11  And  when  the  people  saw  what  Paul  had.  done,  they  lift 

up  their  voices,  saying,  in  the  speech  of  Lycaonia,  The  gods  are 

12  come  down  to  us  in  the  likeness  of  men.     And  they  called  Bar- 
nabas, Jupiter;    and  Paul,  Mercurius,  because  he  was  the  chief 


of  Paul,  deeply  impressed  him,  and 
caused  him  to  look  up  with  confi- 
dence, as  if  he  expected  a  cure  from 
him."  Mat  xv.  28;  Luke  vii.  50; 
Acts  iii.  6,  8. 

11.  Tn  the  speech  of  Lycaonia. 
What  this  was,  is  not  known,  but  it 
has  been  conjectured  to  be  an  idiom 
of  tlie  Greek,  corrupted  by  provin- 
cialisms. Paul  and  Barnabas,  how- 
ever, as  it  appears,  did  not  under- 
stand it,  else  they  would  have  earlier 
repressed  the  enthusiasm  of  the  peo- 
ple. Hence  it  has  been  inferred, 
that  they  did  not  possess  the  gift  of 
tongues.  —  The  gods  are  come  doivn 
to  us,  ifc.  Chap,  xxviii.  6.  This 
was  in  accordance  with  the  popular 
faith  of  the  heatlien  world.  It  was 
believed  that  the  gods,  or  divinities 
of  their  mythology,  came  down  from 
heaven  to  earth,  and,  assuming  the 
disguise  of  a  human  form,  travelled 
from  place  to  place,  to  inspect  the 
affairs  of  mankind.  Many  narratives 
of  this  kind  are  given  both  in  prose 
and  poetry.     Homer  says, 

"  They,  curious  ofl  of  mortal  actions,  deign 
In  forms  like  these  to  round  the  earth  and 

main  ; 
Just  and  unjust  recording  in  their  mind, 
And  with  sure  ej'es  inspecting  all  mankind." 

Ovid  also  introduces  Jupiter  as 
coming  from  heaven  to  redress 
wrongs. 

"The  clamors  of  this  vile,  degenerate  age, 
The  cries  of  orphans,   and   th'    oppressor's 

rage. 
Had  reached  the   stars:    'I   will   descend,' 

said  I, 
In  hope  to  prove  this  loud  compliint  a  lie. 
Disguised  in  human  shape,  I  travelled  round 
The   world,   and  more   than  what    [   heard, 

I  found." 

Milman  remarks,  that  "It  is  re- 
markable, that  in  this  wild  and  in- 


land region,  we  find  the  old  barbarous 
religion  maintaining  a  lively  and 
commanding  influence  over  the  pop- 
ular mind.  In  the  more  civilized 
and  commercial  parts  of  the  Roman 
world,  in  Ephesus,  in  Athens,  or  in 
Rome,  such  extraordinary  cures  as 
that  of  the  cripple  might  have  been 
publicly  wrought,  and  might  have 
excited  a  wondering  interest  in  the 
multitude ;  but  it  may  be  doubted 
whether  the  lowest  or  most  ignorant 
would  have  had  so  much  faith  in  the 
old  fabulous  appearances  of  their  own 
deities,  as  immediately  to  have  im- 
agined their  actual  and  visible  ap- 
pearance in  the  persons  of  these  sur- 
prising strangers.  It  is  only  in  the 
remote  and  savage  Lystra,  where  the 
Greek  language  had  not  predomina- 
ted over  the  primitive  barbarous  dia- 
lect (probably  a  branch  of  the  Cap- 
padocian),  that  the  popular  emotion 
instantly  metamorphoses  these  pub- 
lic benefactors  into  the  J  ove  and  Mer- 
cury of  their  own  temples." 

12.  TViey  called  Barnabas,  Jupiter^ 
^c.  Jupiter  was  the  principal  deity 
of  the  ancient  mythology,  the  father 
of  gods  and  men,  the  ruler  of  heaven 
and  earth.  He  was  invested  with  the 
form  of  a  grave,  majestic  old  man, 
clothed  with  venerableness  and  awe, 
and  having  eyes  expressive  of  deep 
meditation  and  commanding  author- 
ity. "  He  is  generally  represented 
as  sitting  upon  a  golden  or  ivory 
throne,  holding  in  one  hand  thunder- 
bolts just  ready  to  be  hurled,  and 
in  the  other  a  sceptre  of  cypress. 
His  looks  express  majesty,  his  beard 
flows  long  and  neglected,  and  .the 
eagle  stands  with  expanded  wings 
at  his  feet"  Barnabas,  as  being  the 
older — for  he  was  the  uncle  of  Mark, 


208  THE  ACTS  [Chap. 

speaker.     Then  the  priest  of  Jupiter,  which  was  before  their  13 
city,  brought  oxen  and  garlands  unto  the  gates,  and  would  have 
done  sacrifice  with  the  people.      Wliich  when  the  apostles.  Bar-  14 
nabas  and  Paul,  heard  of,  they  rent  their  clothes,  and  ran  in 
among  the  people,  crying  out,  and  saying,  Sirs,  why  do  ye  these  13 
things  ?    We  also  are  men  of  like  passions  with  you,  and  preach 
unto  you,  that  ye  should  turn  from  these  vanities  unto  the  living 
God,  which  made  heaven,  and  earth,  and  the  sea,  and  all  things 


the  Evangelist  —  and  probably  larg- 
er person,  and  less  given  to  speaking 
than  Paul,  —  was  identified  by  the 
superstitious  inhabitants  as  their  tu- 
telary deity,  Jupiter.  Whereas,  Paul, 
who  was  younger  and  smaller,  2  Cor. 
X.  10,  and  an  orator,  they  readily  con- 
jectured was  Mercurius,  or  Mercury. 
This  god  Avas  esteemed  the  patron 
of  eloquence,  and  the  inventor  of  the 
lyre ;  and  was  represented  as  a  young 
man,  with  a  winged  cap,  and  small 
wings  on  Ms  feet,  and  a  wand  of 
wonderful  powers,  called  caduceus, 
which  was  also  winged  and  bound 
witli  two  serpents.  He  was  the  mes- 
senger of  the  gods,  and  was  fabled 
to  attend  Jupiter  in  his  descents  in- 
cog, upon  the  earth.  It  has  been 
observed  that  "the  persuasion  of 
their  being  Jupiter  and  Mercury 
might  gain  the  more  easily  on  the 
minds  of  the  Lycaonians,  on  account 
of  the  well-known  fable  of  Jupiter 
and  Mercury,  who  were  said  to  have 
descended  from  heaven  in  human 
shape,  and  to  have  been  entertained 
by  Lycaon,  from  whom  the  Lycaoni- 
ans took  their  name." 

13.  The  priest  of  Jupiter,  i.  e.  prob- 
ably, the  principal  one,  for  a  temple 

usually  had  several  priests Which 

tvas  before  their  city.  Jupiter  was  rep- 
resented and  worshipped,  in  differ- 
ent places,  as  were  all  the  heathen 
gods,  under  various  characters,  as  the 
Tiyinderer,  the  Preserver,  the  Aven- 
ger, &c.  In  this  instance,  he  was 
honored  by  the  Lycaonians  as  the 
founder  and  protector  of  their  city, 


and  a  temple  was  erected  to  his  ser- 
vice in  front  of  the  town.  —  Oxen. 
It  was  customary  to  sacrifice  these 
animals  to  Jupiter.  It  is  likely  that 
two  were  brought,  one  to  be  offered 
to  each  of  the  supposed  divinities.  — 
Garlands.  They  adorned  the  statues 
of  the  gods,  and  also  the  victims  to 
be  offered,  with  wreaths  of  flowers. 
Thus  Ovid  says, 

"  A  purple  fillet  his  broad  brow  adorns. 
With  flowery  garlands,  crowns,  and  gilded 
horns." 

Also,  Vu-gil, 

•'  The  victim  ox  that  was  for  altars  pressed, 
Trimmed  with  white  ribbons,  and  with  gar- 
lands dressed." 

—  Unto  the  gates.  It  is  not  clear 
whether  we  are  to  understand  the 
gates  of  the  city,  or  the  portals  of  the 
temple,  or  the  porch  of  the  house, 
where  the  apostles  were.  —  Sacrifice 
with  the  people.  This  act  of  offering 
sacrifice  was  the  surest  test  of  their 
sincerity  and  earnest  superstition. 

14.  Heard  of.  They  had  not  been 
aware  of  what  was  in  progress,  until 
tlie  impious  act  was  ahnost  consum- 
mated. —  Rent  their  clothes,  and  ran, 
Sfc.  By  these  strong  and  violent  to- 
kens, they  expressed  their  abhorrence 
of  the  contemplated  sacrifice,  and 
arrested  the  idolatrous  worship. 

15.  JVe  also  are  men  of  like  pas- 
sions ivith  you.  Chap.  x.  26.  This 
rendering  gives  an  improper  turn  to 
the  passage.  The  original  is  rather, 
"We  are  men  —  not  gods;  like-af- 
fected with  you;"  subject  to  the 
infirmities,   conditions,  changes,  of 


XIV.] 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


209 


16  that  are  therein :   who  in  times  past  suffered  all  nations  to  walk 

17  in  their  own  ways.     Nevertheless  he  left  not  himself  without 
witness,  in  that  he  did  good,  and  gave  us  rain  from  heaven,  and 


mortality.  James  v.  17.  —  Preach 
unto  you,  Sfc.  We  are  not  only  frail 
mortals  ourselves,  but  the  identical 
object  of  our  labors  and  teachings  is, 
to  reform  these  abominations  of  idol- 
atry, and  establish  the  faith  and  wor- 
sliip  of  the  one  true  God.  —  These 
vanities.  These  sacrificial  rites  of- 
fered to  imaginary  divinities  are  so 
called,  as  being  nothhig,  having  no 
substantial  or  useful  existence  in  the 
sense  claimed  for  them  by  their  wor- 
sliippcrs.  1  Sam.  xii.  21  ;  1  Kings 
xvi.  13 ;  Jer.  xiv.  22.  God  is  the 
Reality,  not  bits  of  wood  or  stone, 
or  the  deities  they  represent,  which 
have  no  life  themselves,  and  which 
are  capable  of  ji^iving  none  to  their 
devotees.  Such  seems  to  be  the 
sense  of  the  apostle.  —  The  living 
GoL  As  contradistinguished  from 
these  vain  idols  and  tlieir  rites,  and 
from  dead  men  deified  and  adored. 
—  fVJiich  made  heaven,  and  earth,  ^t. 
Gen.  i.  1.  This  was  a  chief  reason 
why  he  was  entitled  to  the  supreme 
hoaiage  of  all  his  intelligent  and 
rational  offspring. 

16,  17.  In  times  past,  i.  e.  previous- 
ly to  the  advent  of  the  Messiah.  — 
Suffered  all  nations.  Chap.  xvii.  30. 
Or,  more  exactly,  "  all  the  Gentiles," 
for  the  Jews  ivere  favored  with  a 
divine  revelation  and  interposition. 
By  this  is  meant,  that  these  people 
were  left  to  the  light  of  nature.  We 
are  not  to  understand  that  God  was 
not  displeased  with  the  idolatry  and 
sinfulness  of  the  heathen  world,  but, 
nevertheless,  he  did  not  directly  in- 
terpose, or  send  special  prophets,  as 
he  did  to  the  Jews.  The  experiment 
was  demonstrated  on  a  large  scale, 
in  the  Oriental,  Greek,  and  Roman 
civilization,  of  the  inability  of  man, 
unvisited  by  light  from  Heaven,  to 
grope  his  way  through  the  twilight 
18* 


of  a  natural  faith,  and  attain  to  full 
peace  and  blessedness.  —  jVeverthe- 
less,  i.  e.  although  he  granted  no  di- 
rect revelation,  yet  he  manifested, 
by  the  ordinary  course  of  his  divine 
Providence,  his  love  and  good  will  to 
mankind.  In  the  words  of  Plotinus, 
a  heathen  philosopher  of  the  school 
of  Plato,  "  God  has  afforded  to  all 
men  a  measure  of  heavenly  truth, 
which,  though  latent  or  scanty,  may 
yet  suffice,  as  he  has  judged,  for 
healing  to  some,  and  for  a  testimony 
to  all.  If  we  attend  to  the  voice  of 
created  nature,  it  will  loudly  proclaim 
its  origin,  not  from  the  Cretan  Jupi- 
ter or  the  Arcadian  Mercury,  but 
from  the  unknown  God  whom  Paul 
preached  to  the  Athenians."  —  In 
that  he  did  good.  The  beautiful  rea- 
soning of  the  apostle  on  the  amount 
of  knowledge  which  might  be  glean- 
ed, if  men  were  faithful,  even  from 
nature  and  providence,  in  relation 
to  tlie  character  of  the  Creator,  is 
further  developed  in  Rom.  i.  18  -  21, 
and  is  corroborated  by  many  sayings 
of  ancient  heathen  writers,  who  often 
discoursed  of  One  God  in  a  style  far 
superior  to  their  age.  It  was  a  re- 
mark of  Synesius,  a  bishop  of  Cyrene, 
that  "  to  do  good  was,  so  to  speak, 
the  very  nature  of  the  Deity,  as  much 
as  for  fire  to  warm,  or  for  light  to 
shine."  —  Gave  us  rain  from  heaven. 
Or,  from  the  clouds.  The  mention 
of  rain,  in  particular,  as  one  of  the 
clearest  manifestations  of  the  divine 
benignity,  was  in  accordance  with 
an  old  Jewish  saying,  that  "  there 
were  three  keys  —  of  life,  rain,  and  the 
resurrection  —  always  kept  in  God's 
own  hand,"  —  not  given  to  any  dele- 
gate or  proxy ;  as  indicating  a  more 
direct  and  special  act  of  power  on  the 
part  of  the  Supreme.  The  apparent 
irregularity  with  which  it  falls,  and 


210 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


fruitful  seasons,  filling  our  hearts  with  food  and  gladness.     And  18 
with  the?e  sayings  scarce  restrained  they  the  people,  that  they 

had  not  done  sacrifice  unto  them. And  there  came  thither  19 

certain  Jews  from  Antioch,  and  Iconium,   who  persuaded  the 
people,  and  having  stoned  Paul,  drew  him  out  of  the  city,  sup- 


the  difficulty  of  foretelling  it,  and  its 
absolute  necessity  to  the  prolonged 
existence  of  either  animate  or  vege- 
table creatures,  single  the  rain  out  as 
worthy  of  emphasis  in  the  brief  rec- 
ord of  Heaven's  gifts  to  man.  "  The 
circuit  of  the  waters,"  in  their  won- 
derful passage  from  tlje  sea  into  the 
atmosphere  by  evaporation,  their  con- 
densation into  clouds  and  rain,  fall 
wpon  the  earth,  formation  into  streams 
and  mighty  rivers,  and  return  to  the 
great  reservoir  of  the  ocean  from 
which  they  issued  in  an  invisible 
fonn,  is,  to  every  devout  mind,  a  per- 
petual miracle  of  celestial  power  and 
goodness.  Jer.  v.  24.  —  Fruitful 
seasons.  Which  intimately  depend 
upon  seasonable  showers  and  dews. 
—  Filling  our  hearts  with  food  and 
gladness,  i.  e.  filling  our  bodies  with 
suitable  food,  and  cheering  the  heart 
with  the  rich  bounties  of  nature. 
"  Of  all  the  common  operations  of 
Providence,"  remarks  Henry,  "  the 
heathen  chose  to  form  their  notions 
of  the  supreme  God  by  that  which 
speaks  terror,  and  is  proper  to  strike 
an  awe  of  him  upon  us,  and  that  was 
the  thunder,  and  therefore  they  called 
Jupiter  the  thunderer,  and  represented 
him  with  a  thunderbolt  in  his  hand ; 
and  it  appears,  by  Ps.  xxix.  3,  that 
that  ought  not  to  be  overlooked ;  but 
tliG  apostle  here,  to  engage  us  to 
worship  God,  sets  before  us  Jiis  be- 
neficence, that  we  may  have  good 
thoughts  of  him  in  every  thing  where- 
in we  have  to  do  with  him,  may  love 
him,  and  delight  in  him,  as  one  that 
doth  good,  doth  good  to  us,  doth 
good  to  all,  in  giving  us  rain  from 
heaven  and  fruitful  seasons."  Cicero, 
the  Roman  orator  and  heathen  phi- 


losopher, also  finely  says,  "  And  here, 
on  this  earth  on  which  we  dwell, 
the  sky  does  not  cease  to  be  genial, 
nor  the  trees,  in  their  proper  season, 
to  shoot  forth  branches,  nor  the  vines 
to  bud  and  bring  their  reviving  fruits 
to  perfection,  nor  the  boughs  to  hang 
down  witli  ripe  berries,  nor  the  corn 
to  yield  its  expected  increase ;  hut 
all  things  flourish,  the  springs  are 
continually  running,  and  the  fields 
are  clothed  with  grass.  And  then,  if 
we  consider  what  a  multitude  there 
is  of  cattle,  partly  for  food,  partly  for 
carrying,  and  partly  for  clothing  our 
bodies ;  and  the  nature  of  man  him- 
self, who  seems  to  be  fonned  for 
contemplating  heaven  and  the  gods, 
and  to  adore  and  worship  them,  and 
that  the  Avhole  earth  and  sea  lie  open 
for  his  use ;  when  we  see  and  con- 
sider these,  and  innumerable  other 
things,  can  we  doubt  whether  there 
is  a  Superior  Being,  who  is  either 
the  Creator  of  these  things,  if  they 
Avere  indeed  created,  as  Plato  thinks ; 
or,  if  they  ahvays  were,  as  Aristotle 
supposes,  who  is  the  Manager  and 
Disposer  of  so  great  a  work  and 
charge  ? "  "  If  we  hearken  to  the 
voice  of  the  world,"  says  Plotinus, 
"  we  shall  hear  it  say  nothing  but 
'God  hath  made  me.'"  So  much 
for  the  witness  which  even  the 
wisest  heathen  bore  to  the  truth 
of  Paul's  argument. 

19.  Certain  Jeivsfrom  Antioch,  ^'c. 
They  followed  tlie  apostles  with  im- 
placable hostility  from  place  to  place. 
Chap.  xiii.  50,  51,  xiv.  2.  —  Persuad- 
ed the  people.  Or,  gained  over  the 
people,  or,  instigated  them.  —  Stoned 
Paid.  As  the  more  conspicuous  for 
his  zeal.    See  2  Cor.  xi.  23,  25.  — 


XIV.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


211 


20  posing  he  had  been  dead.  Howbeit,  as  the  disciples  stood  round 
about  him,  he  rose  up,  and  came  into  the  city  : 

21  And  the  next  day  he  departed  with  Barnabas  to  Derbe.  And 
when  they  had  preached  the  gospel  to  that  city,  and  had  taught 
many,  they  returned  again  to  Lystra,  and  to  Iconium,  and  to 

22  Antioch,  confirming  the  souls  of  the  disciples,  and  exhorting 
them  to  continue  in  the  faith,  and  that  we  must  through  much 


Drew  him  out  of  the  city.  It  is  ob- 
servable that  the  heathen  hesitate 
not  to  stone  Paul  in  the  city,  and 
afterwards  drag  him  out,  probably  in 
a  rough  and  brutal  manner,  as  if  to 
leave  him  outside  of  the  walls,  to  be 
exposed  as  food  for  beasts  and  birds 
of  prey ;  whereas,  Stephen,  accord- 
ing to  the  different  usage  of  the 
Jews,  was  first  hurried  from  the  holy 
city,  and  then  stoned  to  death  with- 
out its  Avails.  Chap.  vii.  57,  58. — 
Supposing  he  had  been  dead.  Whetli- 
er  so  in  reality,  or  not,  is  left  unde- 
termined. The  change  of  the  peo- 
ple, from  superstitious  homage  of  the 
apostles  to  murderous  hatred,  took 
place,  perhaps,  after  some  interval  of 
time  had  elapsed,  between  ver.  18 
and  19.  It  was  occasioned,  too,  by 
emissaries  coming  from  other  places 
and  incensing  the  Lystrians.  There 
was,  also,  in  all  likelihood,  a  change 
of  parties,  —  as  suggested  by  the 
Abbotts,  —  the  friends  of  Paul  and 
Barnabas  being  thrown  into  discour- 
ao-ement  and  inaction,  and  the  other 
side,  which  had  always  cherished  a 
deadly  animosity,  being  stimulated 
to  new  zeal,  and  rising  to  an  ascend- 
ency. 

20.  Hoivheit,  ^c.  Though  they 
supposed  him  dead,  yet,  while  the 
disciples  surrounded  him,  he  was 
restored  so  as  to  be  able  to  return 
into  the  city,  and  on  the  next  day  to 
set  out  on  a  journey.  The  facts,  that 
Paul  had  been  stoned  so  as  to  be  ap- 
parently dead,  and  dragged  through 
the  streets,  and  cast  out  of  the  town, 


as  a  common  malefactor;  and  that, 
after  such  violence  was  done  him, 
he  should  be  able  to  get  up,  and  go 
into  the  city,  and  depart  on  the  mor- 
row to  another  place,  bear  a  strong 
impression  that  he  was  restored  by 
somethinof  more  than  ordinary  means. 
2  Tim.  lii.  11.  — Berbe.  To  this 
place  Gaius  belonged,  mentioned 
in  Acts  XX.  4,  and  3  John  1. 

21,  22.  Had  taught  many.  Or, 
better,  according  to  the  margin,  "  had 
made  many  disciples."  Derbe  was 
the  ultimate  point  of  their  travels ; 
and  they  fearlessly  return  through 
the  same  places,  Lystra,  Iconium, 
and  x^ntioch,  where  they  had  been 
fiercely  persecuted.  —  Confirming. 
Or,  strengthening.  No  religious  cer- 
emony or  sacrament  is  here  alluded 
to,  such  as  is  now  called  confirma- 
tion, but  a  moral,  spiritual  influence, 
infusing  new  energy  into  their  faith. 
—  And.  This  word  is  in  Italics,  and 
should  be  left  out  They  confirmed 
the  souls  of  the  disciples,  exhorting, 
or  by  exhorting,  them  to  continue  in 
the  faith.  —  Through  much  tribula- 
tion, &fc.  In  reference,  not  to  the 
ordinary  trials  of  the  Christian,  but 
to  the  peculiar  dangers  which  beset 
the  disciples  of  that  period,  from  the 
hostility  of  bigoted  J  ews  and  super- 
stitious Gentiles.  John  xvi.  33;  2 
Tim.  iii.  12.  There  is  an  important 
sense,  however,  in  which  we  must 
in  all  ages  enter  into  the  kingdom 
of  heaven,  by  passing  through  the 
furnace  of  affliction,  and  "  learning 
obedience  by  the  things  we  suffer." 


212 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


tribulation  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God.  And  when  they  had  23 
ordained  them  elders  in  every  church,  and  had  prayed  with  fast- 
ing, they  commended  them  to  the  Lord,  on  whom  they  believed. 
And  after  they  had  passed  throughout  Pisidia,  they  came  to  24 
Pamphylia.  And  when  they  had  preached  the  word  in  Perga,  25 
they  went  down  into  Attalia :  and  thence  sailed  to  Antioch,  26 
from  whence  they  had  been  recommended  to  the  grace  of  God, 

for   the  work   which    they  fulfilled. And   when    they   were  27 

come,  and  had  gathered  the  church  together,  they  rehearsed  all 
that  God  had  done  with  them,  and  how  he  had  opened  the  door 
of  faith  unto  the  Gentiles,     And   there  they  abode  long  time  28 
with  the  disciples. 


23.  Ordained.  Rather,  "  chose,"  or, 
"appointed."  The  Greek  does  not 
express  the  idea  of  ordination,  as  now 
understood  by  the  Christian  world. 
—  Elders.  Note  on  chap.  xi.  30.  In 
order  to  perpetuate  the  influence  of 
the  gospel,  in  the  places  where  they 
had  labored,  they  organized  the  dis- 
ciples into  a  body,  and  appointed,  or 
caused  to  be  appointed,  officers  to 
take  charge  of  each  church,  and 
teach,  exhort,  and  superintend  its 
affairs.  1  Pet  v.  1-3.  They  con- 
secrated them  to  their  work  with 
prayer  and  fasting,  and  commend- 
ed them  to  the  divine  protection, 
in  which  they  had  the  fullest  con- 
fidence. 

24,25.  Pisidia  — Pamphylia.  See 
notes  on  chap.  xiii.  13,  14.  —  JntoM- 
tah'a.  Or,  better,  "  to  Attalia, "  as  we 
usually  say  into,  or  to,  in  speaking  of 
a  country,  but  to,  in  speaking  of  a 
town.  Attalia  was  a  seaport  of  Pam- 
phylia, built  by  Attalus  Philadelphus, 
king  of  Pergamus,  in  the  second  cen- 
tury before  Christ,  and  called  after 
the  name  of  the  founder.  It  is  now 
Aniali.  They  here  tool^ship  for 
Syria. 

26.  Antioch.  Not,  of  course,  the 
Antioch  of  ver.  21,  which  was  in 
Pisidia,  but  the  city  of  this  name  in 
Syria,  chap.  xiii.  1.  They  had  been 
absent,  according  to  the  computa- 


tions of  some,  about  three  years,  on 
this  first  apostolical  journey ;  during 
which  time  they  had  visited  Salamis 
and  Paphos,  on  the  island  of  Cyprus, 
and  Perga,  Antioch,  Iconium,  Lystra, 
Derbe,  Attalia,  and  other  places,  in 
tliree  of  the  provinces  of  Asia  Minor, 
viz.,  Pamphylia,  Pisidia,  and  Lycao- 
nia.  —  Recommended  to  the  grace,  ^r. 
They  were  sent  forth  from  Antioch 
on  tliis  missionary  enterprise,  and 
committed,  by  the  prayers  of  the 
church,  to  the  divine  favor.  They 
had  performed  the  work  assigned 
them,  and  now  returned  to  give  an 
account  of  their  labors  to  those  who 
had  given  them  their  commission. 

27,  28.  Rehearsed.  Or,  related. 
With  them.  By  them,  by  their  means. 
They  had  been  the  instruments,  in 
the  hand  of  God,  of  accomplishing 
great  good.  —  Opened  the  door  of  faith 
■unto  the  Gentiles.  1  Cor.  xvi.  9.  This 
Avas  a  subject  of  gratitude,  that  the 
blessings  of  the  Messiah's  reign  were 
shared  by  the  Gentiles ;  and  the  op- 
portunity given  of  spreading  the  truth, 
as  it  is  in  Jesus,  beyond  all  national 
and  territorial  limits.  —  Abode  long 
time.  How  long  cannot  be  definitely 
ascertained ;  but,  as  some  conjecture, 
about  two,  others  five  years.  Some 
insert,  at  tliis  blank  period  in  the  his- 
tory by  Luke,  the  transactions  of 
Gal.  ii. 


XV.] 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


213 


CHAPTER   XV. 

The  Gentile  Controversy  is  settled  by  the  General  Assembly  at  Jerusalem,  and  the 
Decision  made  known  among  the  Churches. 

And  certain  men  which  came  down  from  Judea,  taught  the 
brethren,  and  said,  Except  ye  be  circumcised  after  the  manner 


We  observe,  in  this  chapter,  (].) 
the  different  character  of  the  preach- 
ing addre-!sed  to  the  Jews,  chap, 
xiii.  16-41,  compared  with  that. di- 
rected to  the  Gentiles,  ver.  15,  16; 
the  one  being  appealed  to  on  the 
ground  of  the  revealed  religion 
which  they  already  possessed;  and 
the  other  on  the  great  institutes  of 
natural  theology,  open  to  those  who 
did  not  enjoy  a  special  revelation, — 
an  adaptation  to  tlie  wants  and  con- 
dition of  each  class,  worthy  of  the 
wisdom  from  on  high.  (2.)  The  dif- 
fusive, missionary  spirit  of  the  gos- 
pel,—  a  little  leaven  seeking  to 
leaven  the  whole  lump.  The  disci- 
ples did  not  wait  until  they  had  made 
converts  of  all  the  people  of  Antioch 
before  they  sent  forth  the  heralds  of 
salvation  to  other  lands,  but  early 
scattered  the  seed  of  trutli,  far  and 
wide,  over  many  provinces  and  coun- 
tries. It  is  an  example  for  every 
age,  and  for  every  body  of  Christian 
believers :  "  Freely  ye  have  received, 
freely  give." 

CHAPTER  XV. 

The  great  Jewish  and  Gentile  con- 
troversy, at  this  point,  again  broke  in 
upon  tlie  peace  of  the  church,  and 
arrayed  its  members  in  hostile  atti- 
tude towards  one  another.  For  a 
statement  of  its  merits,  see  the  intro- 
duction to  chap.  xi.  As  the  law 
given  by  Moses  was  the  law  of  God, 
the  Jews  could  not  understand  its 
temporary  character  and  object,  but 
supposed  it  to  be  perpetually  binding 
upon  tliem,  and  upon  all  who  became 
members  of  the  Messiah's  kingdom. 
The  aim  of  his  coming  was  judged 


to  be  the  perfecting  and  confirming 
of  the  law,  not  the  superseding  and 
abrogation  thereof.  Hence,  when, 
as  at  the  period  of  Paul's  return  to 
Antioch,  the  Christian  body  had  in- 
corporated into  itself  a  large  number 
of  Gentiles,  the  Jewish  Christians 
were  alarmed ;  they  saw  their  f lA'or- 
ite  system  falling  into  disuse,  Moses 
superseded,  his  law  not  observed, 
and  multitudes  of  those,  whom  they 
had  regarded  as  the  offscouring  of 
the  earth,  pressing  into  the  very  holy 
of  holies  of  the  Messiah's  clmvch, 
without  conforming  to  the  earlier 
ritual  given  fi-om  heaven.  In  tliis 
chapter,  we  shall  see  the  wisdom  of 
the  Christian  leaders  of  botli  parties 
in  managing  this  delicate  and  mo- 
mentous affair  ;  though  many  of  the 
Jewish  converts  still  maintained  the 
controversy  long  afterwards,  as  the 
epistles  of  Paul  testify  —  many  of 
which  were  expressly  written  to 
meet  this  problem  of  the  age,  but 
have  been  wofully  misunderstood, 
because  their  leading  purpose,  as 
controversial  writings,  has  not  been 
kept  distinctly  and  steadily  in  view. 
1.  Certain  men  ivhich  came  down 
from  Judea,  i.  e.  what  are  sometimes 
called  Jewish  zealots,  or  Judaizing 
teachers,  because  of  the  zeal  and  per- 
tinacity with  which  they  urged  the 
observance  of  the  law  of  Moses  upon 
the  Gentile  disciples.  Judea  and 
Jerusalem  were  naturally  the  head- 
quarters of  this  party,  whence  they 
sallied  fortli  to  spread  their  views 
wherever  Christian  churches  flour- 
ish (^d. —  Erceptye  be  circumcised  after 
the  manner  of  Moses.  Or,  "  according 
to  the  institution  of  Moses."     As  cir- 


214 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


of  Mosfes,  ye  cannot  be  saved.     When  therefore  Paul  and  Bar-  2 
nabas  had  no  small  dissension  and  disputation  with  them,  they 
determined  that  Paul  and  Barnabas,  and  certain  other  of  them, 
should  go  up  to  Jerusalem  unto  the  apostles  and  elders  about 
this  question.     And  being  brought  on  their  way  by  the  church,  3 
they  passed  through  Phenice  and  Samaria,  declaring  the  conver- 
sion of  the  Gentiles :    and  they  caused  great  joy  unto  all   the 
brethren.     And  when  they  were  come  to  Jerusalem,  they  were  4 
received  of  the  church,  and  of  the  apostles  and  elders,  and  they 
declared  all  things  that  God  had  done  with   them.     But  there  5 
rose  up  certain  of  the  sect  of  the  Pharisees,  which  believed,  say- 


cumcision  was  the  great  rite  of  the 
Jewish  religion,  it  stands  as  a  gen- 
eral term,  descriptive  of  the  ritual 
of  which  it  was  so  essential  a  part. 
The  same  use  of  the  word  is  often 
introduced  into  the  epistles  of  Paul ; 
the  Jews  being  classed  as  those  of 
the  circumcision,  and  the  Gentiles  as 
those  of  tlie  uncircumcision.  Gal. 
vi.  15. —  Ye  cannot  be  saved,  i.  e.  en- 
joy tlie  favors  of  the  Messiah's  king- 
dom, and  inherit  the  promises  of 
God,  attached  to  tlie  new  covenant 
made  with  his  people.  Before  the 
advent  of  Christ,  there  had  been  a 
difference  of  opinion  among  the  Jews 
themselves,  as  Josephus  relates,  re- 
specting the  necessity  of  proselytes 
being  circumcised,  —  some  holding 
stricter  views  than  others. 

2.  Paul  and  Barnabas.  They 
took  the  Gentile  side  of  the  question. 
Eph.  iii.  2-6.  The  change  of  Paul 
from  a  zealous  Pharisee  to  a  gener- 
ous-minded apostle  bears  the  impress 
of  a  divine  work.  —  J^o  small  dis- 
sension. The  question  was  impor- 
tant, great  interests  were  at  stake, 
and  it  was  natural  that  strong  feelings 
should  be  enlisted  on  both  sides.  — 
Go  up  to  Jerusalem,,  8,*c.  The  au- 
thority and  sanctity  of  the  holy  city 
to  a  Jewish  mind  seem  to  have  been 
easily  transferred  to  the  Christian 
convert  The  disciples  still  turned 
tlieir  faces  to  Mount  Zion,  and  were 


enlightened.  Ps.  xx.  2.  There  was 
the  empty  tomb  of  the  ascended  Mas- 
ter. There  was  "  the  goodly  fellow- 
ship "  of  the  tAvelve,  noAv  reduced  to 
eleven,  not  by  treachery,  but  the 
more  honorable  cause  of  martyrdom. 
There  Avere  the  bretliren,  and  the  first 
Christian  church;  and  thither  they 
would  naturally  resort  for  counsel 
and  autliority  to  compose  their  differ- 
ences. Gal.  ii.  11  - 14,  v.  2 ;  Phil.  iii. 
3;  Titus  i.  9-11. 

3,  4.  Brought  on  their  umy,  i.  e. 
escorted,  or  honorably  attended,  by  a 
delegation  of  the  church,  when  they 
set  out  from  Antioch.  Chap.  xvii. 
15.  —  Phenice,  ^'C.  Phenicia  and  Sa- 
maria lay  directly  on  the  route  to 
Judea  from  Antioch.  —  The  conver- 
sion of  the  Gentiles,  ^'C.  This  occa- 
sioned great  joy,  because  it  was  un- 
expected, and  because  the  Gentiles 
could  come  to  Jesus  without  travers- 
ing tlie  circuitous  route  of  Jewish 
rites  and  ceremonies.  The  labors 
of  Paul  and  Barnabas  in  Cyprus, 
Asia  Minor,  and  Syria,  had  yielded 
rich  first-fruits  of  the  Gentile  har- 
vest. —  Received  of  the  church,  fyc. 
In  a  hospitable  and  cordial  manner. 
—  That  God  had  done  with  them. 
Or,  by  them.  They  constantly  held 
themselves  up  as  tlie  instruments  of 
the  Divine  Agent. 

5,  6.  Certain  of  the  sect  of  the 
Pharisees.      Who   would,   retaining 


XV.] 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


215 


ing,  That  it  was  needful  to  circumcise  them,  and  to  command 
them  to  keep  the  law  of  Moses. 

6  And  the  apostles  and  elders  came  together  for  to  consider  of 

7  this  matter.  And  when  there  had  been  much  disputing,  Peter 
rose  up  and  said  unto  them,  Men  and  brethren,  ye  know  how 
that  a  good  while  ago,  God  made  choice  among  us,  that  the 
Gentiles,  by  my  mouth,  should  hear  the  word  of  the  gospel,  and 

8  believe.     And  God,  which  knoweth  the  hearts,  bare  them  wit- 

9  ness,  giving  them  the  Holy  Ghost,  even  as  he  did  unto  us :  and 
put  no  difference  between  us  and  them,  purifying  their  hearts  by 


their  old  ideas,  as  most  earnest  stic- 
klers for  the  letter  of  the  law,  take  the 
lead  on  this  question,  and  oppose 
the  admission  of  the  Gentiles  to  the 
church  on  any  more  liberal  ground 
than  that  of  submission  to  the  yoke 
of  Moses.  -^  And  to  command  them, 
&fc.  A  similar  statement  to  that  in 
ver.  1.  We  here  see  that  the  de- 
mand was  not  that  the  Gentiles  should 
merely  be  circumcised,  but  that  they 
should  comply  with  the  whole  ritual 
of  Moses.  —  The  apostles  and  elders. 
From  ver.  12,  22,  23,  we  infer  that 
the  brethren,  or  a  large  body  of  tlie 
disciples,  Avere  also  present.  It  would 
seem  to  have  been  in  a  popular, 
rather  than  a  limited  assembly ;  de- 
signed, not  to  enact  laws  so  much  as 
to  give  advice  ;  not  to  command,  but 
persuade.  It  has  been  common  to 
call  this  "  the  first  general  council  " 
of  Jerusalem;  but  the  informality  of 
its  organization,  the  mild  and  rec- 
ommendatory tone  of  its  decisions, 
render  it  s  >  far  unlike  the  subsequent 
associations  of  that  name,  that  it  is, 
perhaps,  inappropriat<j  and  undesira- 
ble to  call  it  a  council.  As  observed 
by  Lightfoot,  "  It  was  not  a  conven- 
tion premeditated  and  solemnly  sum- 
moned, but  only  occasional  and  emer- 
gent." —  To  consider  of  this  matter. 
They  came  to  deliberate,  to  speak, 
and  hear,  and  compare,  and  weigh 
opinions,  not  to  publish,  in  a  dictato- 
rial tone,   results   already   attained. 


But  if  inspiration  had  been  plenary 
in  relation  to  all  subjects  connected 
with  the  gospel,  it  would  only  have 
been  requisite  for  the  apostles  to 
speak,  in  order  to  be  heard  and 
obeyed ;  and  they  would  not  have 
disagreed  among  themselves. 

7.  Much  disputing.  Or,  discuss- 
ing. Because  the  gospel  is  a  reli- 
gion from  heaven,  it  does  not  follow 
that  all  who  believe  in  it  will  be  ex- 
empt from  some  passions  of  anger 
and  occasional  flashes  of  revenge ; 
for  though  «  the  spirit  indeed  is  will- 
ing, the  flesh  is  weak."  And  though 
the  apostles  were  inspired,  it  did  not 
prevent  Paul  from  being  hasty,  chap, 
xxiii.  3-5,  and  Peter  timid  and  va- 
cillating, Gal.  ii.  11-14. — A  good 
while  ago.  Ten  years,  or  more,  as 
computed  by  some.  Chap.  x.  —  God 
made  choice,  i.  e.  in  the  vision  of  an- 
imals, and  the  accompanying  cir- 
cumstances, he  showed  to  Peter  the 
myst<  ry  of  the  kingdom  of  the  Mes- 
siah, viz.,  the  free  admission  of  Gen- 
tile converts  to  Christianity  without 
passing  under  the  Jewish  yoke  of 
bondaije. 

8,  a  The  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
constituted  a  strong  argument  in 
proof  of  th;?  lawfulness  of  receiving 
Gentiles  in  fall  communion  and  sym- 
pathy without  the  Mosaic  obser- 
vances. God,  who  knew  the  heart, 
and  Avhat  qualifications  were  neces- 
sary,  had    borne   witness,   had  ap- 


216 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


faith.     Now  therefore  why  tempt  ye  God,  to  put  a  yoke  upon  the  10 
neck  of  the  disciples,  which  neither  our  fathers  nor  we  were  able 
to  bear  ?     But  we  believe,  that  through  the  grace  of  the  Lord  il 

Jesus  Christ,  we  shall  be  saved,  even  as  they. Then  all  the  12 

multitude  kept  silence,  and  gave  audience  to  Barnabas  and  Paul, 
declaring  what  miracles  and  wonders  God  had  wrought  among 


proved,  as  with  authentic  voice,  of 
the  course  of  Peter,  Paul,  and  Bar- 
nabas. —  Put  no  difference.  He  not 
only  gave  gifts,  but  gave  as  many 
rich  tokens  of  his  love  and  sanction, 
to  the  Gentiles,  as  to  the  converts 
from  the  Jews.  And  as  they  were 
not  pure  ceremonially,  according  to 
Jewish  notions,  they  had  been  puri- 
fied by  faith,  1  Peter  i.  2'2,  placed  on 
another  ground  of  sanctity  and  jus- 
tification, viz.,  that  of  the  believing 
state  of  the  heart 

10.  Tempi  ye  God.  See  note  on 
Mat.  iv.  7.  Or,  needlessly  expose 
them  to  dangers  and  trouble ;  as  it 
would  be  resisting  the  will  of  God 
and  periling  the  virtue  of  the  Gen- 
tile convert,  to  require  him  to  incor- 
porate Judaism  and  the  gospel  in 
one.  For,  as  Farmer  observes,  "  To 
tempt  God,  is  to  make  an  improper 
trial  of  his  poAver,  to  make  new  and 
unreasonable  demands  upon  it,  after 
sufficient  evidence  has  been  already 
afforded ;  and  to  do  this,  not  barely 
from  presumption,  but  from  distrust." 
—  To  pid  a  yoke.  This  imagery  is 
frequent,  in  the  Scriptures,  to  de- 
scribe the  imposition  of  any  burden, 
or  duty,  or  restraint.  Lam.  i.  14,  iii. 
S7 ;  Mat.  xL  29,  30,  xxiii.  4  ;  Gal.  v. 
]  ;  1  Tim.  vi.  1.  —  Which  neither  our 
fathers  nor  we  ivere  able  to  bear. 
Here  is  a  free  confession  of  the 
burdensome  character  of  the  Mosaic 
ritual,  particularly  as  it  was  over- 
laden with  numerous  traditions  and 
comments  by  the  Rabbins.  The 
moral  law  was  not  annulled  by  tlie 
odvent  of  Christ;  nor  was  the  great 
purpose  of  tlie  Mosaic  dispensation 
frustrated ;  —  Jesus  came  to  fulfil,  to 


carry  it  out,  not  to  destroy  it ; — but  the 
special  enactments,  the  ceremonial 
and  external  apparatus  of  that  sys- 
tem, Avere  to  pass  away,  as  no  longer 
needed,  as  a  burden  useless  and  hurt- 
ful to  lay  upon  the  necks  of  the  Gen- 
tile converts.  It  was  a  tempting  of 
God,  a  frustrating  of  his  will,  and 
provoking  of  his  displeasure,  to  im- 
pose these  old  trammels  of  a  past 
age  upon  the  youthful  limbs  of  a  new 
faith ;  to  fetter  the  liberty  of  Christ, 
of  spiritual  manhood,  with  the  lead- 
ing-strings of  J  ewish  childhood. 

11.  Through  the  grace  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  ^'c.  All  were  to  look 
for  salvation  to  the  mercy  revealed 
through  the  Messiah,  to  the  favor 
of  God  in  Christ,  not  to  any  exter- 
nal observances,  or  ritual  obedience. 
The  stress  of  the  sentence  is,  that, 
so  far  from  these  legal  requirements, 
circumcision  and  sacrifices,  being 
essential  to  the  Gentiles  as  a  ground 
of  acceptance  with  the  Most  High, 
they  were  not  even  necessary  to  9ie 
Jews  themselves;  for  they  likewise 
could  not  noAv  be  justified  by  the 
works  of  the  law,  or  compliance  witli 
the  Mosaic  ceremonial,  but  by  faith 
in  the  mercy  of  God  in  the  revela- 
tion of  his  Son.  The  unworthy 
compliances  of  Peter  with  Jewish 
prejudices,  related  in  Gal.  ii.  11-14, 
no  doubt  occurred  several  years  be- 
fore, when  it  is  conjectured  he  went 
to  Antioch  in  the  Herodian  persecu- 
tion.    Chap.  xii.  17,  25. 

12.  Declaring  what  miracles,  IfC. 
After  Peter  had  concluded  his  re- 
marks, Paul  and  Barnabas  gave  their 
testimony  also  to  the  same  effect. 
They  had  been  empowered  by  Go4 


XV.] 


OF   THE   APOSTLES. 


217 


13  the  Gentiles  by  them. And  after  they  had  held  their  peace, 

James  answered,  saying,  Men  and  brethren,  hearken  unto  me. 
11  Simeon  hath  declared  how  God  at  the  first  did  visit  the  Gentiles, 
15  to  take  out  of  them  a  people  for  his  name.     And  to  this  agree 
IG  the  words  of  the  prophets ;  as  it  is  written.  After  this  I  will  re- 
turn, and  will  build  again  the  tabernacle  of  David  which  is  fallen 
down ;   and  I  will  build  again  the  ruins  thereof,  and  I  will  set  it 
17  up  :  that  the  residue  of  men  might  seek  after  the  Lord,  and  all 
the  Gentiles,  upon  whom  my  name  is  called,  saith  the  Lord,  who 


to  work  miracles  among  the  Gen- 
tiles, which  showed  that  he  approved 
of  tlie  course  they  pursued  in  admit- 
ting them  into  the  Christian  church 
without  circumcision.  He  would  not 
have  granted  such  a  sanction  to  their 
labors,  if  they  adopted  false  prin- 
ciples of  action  in  their  ministry. 
Though  they  were  inspired,  yet  the 
argument  from  facts  would  be  more 
convincing  to  their  Jewish  opponents 
than  their  mere  words,  or  the  state- 
ment of  impressions  received  by  their 
own  minds. 

13,  14.  James  nnsivered.  Or, 
"  made  an  address."  This  was  James 
the  Less,  the  son  of  Alpheus,  some- 
times c.dled  the  bishop  of  Jerusalem 
by  the  early  writers.  He  was  presi- 
dent, apparently,  of  the  assembly;  and 
after  others  had  expressed  their  opin- 
ions, he  summed  up  the  matter,  and 
gave  a  species  of  decision  as  to  the 
best  course  to  be  pursued.  Neander 
remarks,  that,  "  On  account  of  his 
strict  observance  of  the  law,  he  was 
held  in  the  greatest  reverence  by 
the  Jews,  and  in  his  words,  there- 
fore, the  greatest  confidence  would 
be  placed.  He  brought  their  de- 
liberations to  a  close,  by  a  proposal 
whicii  corresponded  t)  his  own  pe- 
culiar moderation  and  mildness,  and 
was  adapted  to  compose  the  existing 
differences.  Referring  to  Peter's  ad- 
dress, he  said  that  this  apostle  had 
shown  how  God  had  already  received 
the  Gentiles,  in  order  to  form  a  peo- 
ple   dedicated  to  his  service.     And 

VOL.    III.  19 


this  agreed  with  the  predictions  of 
the  prophets,  who  had  foretold  that, 
in  tlie  times  when  the  decayed  the- 
ocracy was  to  be  gloriously  revived, 
the  worship  of  Jehovah  would  be 
extended  also  among  the  Gentiles. 
Accordingly,  Avhat  had  recently  oc- 
curred among  the  Gentiles  need  not 
excite  their  astonishment.  God,  who 
effected  all  this,  was  noAv  fulfilling 
his  eternal  counsel,  as  he  had  prom- 
ised by  his  prophets.  Since,  there- 
fore, by  this  eternal  counsel  of  God, 
the  Gentiles  were  to  be  incorporated 
into  his  kingdom  by  the  Messiah,  let 
them  not  dare  to  do  any  thing  which 
might  obstruct  or  retard  the  progress 
of  this  Avork.  They  ought  not  to  lay 
any  unnecessary  burdens  on  the  con- 
verted Gentiles."  —  Men  and  breth- 
ren. Brethren.  —  Simeon.  Hebrew 
of  Simon.  —  M  the  first.  Better, 
"  first."  Chap.  x.  —  A  people  for  his 
name.  As  the  Hebrews  had  been 
chosen  out  of  other  nations  for  the 
recipients  of  a  purer  faith  and  wor- 
ship, so  now  were  converts  gathered 
out  of  the  Gentile  world  to  constitute 
a  new  race  and  kingdom  of  men  for 
the  glory  of  God.  Peter  appeared, 
in  this  assembly,  as  possessing  no 
superior  authority  to  the  other  speak- 
ers, which  could  favor  the  papal 
claims  of  his  supremacy  in  the  apos- 
tolic college.  On  the  contrary,  if 
any  one  took  the  lead,  it  was  James. 
15-18.  Of  the  prophets.  The 
book  of  the  minor  prophets,  of  whom 
Amos,  who  flourished  about  780  or 


218 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap, 


doeth  all  these  things.     Known  unto  God  are  all  his  works  from  18 
the  beginning  of  the  world.     Wherefore  my  sentence  is,  that  we  lU 
trouble  not  them,  which  from  among  the  Gentiles  are  turned  to 
God  :   but  that  we  write  unto  them  that  they  abstain  from  pollu-  20 
tions  of  idols,  and  from  fornication,  and  from  things  strangled, 


790  B.  C,  was  one.  —  As  it  is  ivrit- 
ten.     See   Amos   ix.    11,   12.      The 

particular  aim  of  the  prophet  seems 
to  have  been,  to  describe  the  resto- 
ration of  the  Jewish  prosperity,  the 
rebuilding  of  the  temple  after  the 
Babylonish  captivity,  and  the  spread 
of  the  true  faith  even  beyond  Judea, 
all  which  was  fulfilled  about  two 
hundred  years  afterwards.  James 
employed  this  by  way  of  accommo- 
dation, as  illustrative  of  the  admis- 
sion of  the  Gentiles  into  the  Mes- 
siah's kingdom.  Peter  had  reasoned 
from  the  gifts  of  the  Spirit,  and  the 
purification  of  faith,  granted  to  the 
Gentiles,  ver.  8,  9  ;  Paul  and  Barna- 
bas, from  miracles  done,  by  the  di- 
vine power  and  approbation,  among 
the  heathen ;  and  James  adduces  the 
voice  of  the  elder  dispensation  itself, 
which  embraced  the  Gentiles  in  its 
plan  of  mercy.  —  After  this,  S^c.  i.  e. 
the  destruction  of  Israel.  —  The  tab- 
ernacle, i.  e.  figuratively,  the  family, 
or  people,  of  David,  who  would  be 
restored  and  built  up  again  in  their 
own  land.  The  quotation  is  not 
made  strictly  according  to  the  He- 
brew, or  the  Greek  version. —  The 
residue  of  men.  Or,  the  Gentiles, 
the  rest  of  the  human  family  besides 
the  Jews.  —  Known  unto  God,  &,'c. 
A  portion  of  this  verse  is  deemed 
spurious  by  Griesbach  and  other  crit- 
ics. They  read  it  as  follows,  be- 
ginning with  the  last  clause  of  ver. 
17 :  "  Who  doeth  all  these  things, 
ivhich  ivere  known  from  the  beginning 
of  the  world."  It  is  probably  a  re- 
mark of  James,  not  a  quotation  from 
Amos;  and  implies,  that  the  pur- 
poses of  God  were  known  to  him 
from  the    beginning.     He    foresaw 


from  the  first  the  whole  course  of 
events,  and  the  development  of  the 
patriarchal.  Mosaic,  prophetic,  and 
Christian  dispensation.  His  plan 
Avas  eternal. 

19.  My  sentence  is.  Or,  "  I  judge 
or  conclude."  —  That  we  trouble  not 
them,  S)C.  By  imposing  upon  them 
the  yoke  of  ceremonial  observances. 

—  The  Gentiles  —  turned  to  God,  i.  e. 
Gentile  converts.  There  is  no  evi- 
dence, in  this  verse,  that  James  pass- 
ed a  decree  by  his  own  authority, 
but  simply  oflfered  what,  in  modern 
phrase,  would  be  called  a  resolution, 
for  the  consideration  of  the  assembly. 

20.  That  we  turite  unto  them.  Be- 
cause the  Gentile  converts  were  scat- 
tered about  in  distant  places.  Tlie 
decision  contained  four  prohibitions. 

—  Pollutions  of  idols.  A  custom 
was  prevalent  in  Gentile  countries, 
that,  after  a  sacrifice  had  been  of- 
fei-ed  in  a  heathen  temple,  and  a 
portion  had  been  given  to  the  priests, 
the  remainder  of  the  offerings  was 
either  exposed  for  sale  in  the  mar- 
ket, or  served  up  by  the  worship- 
per for  the  entertaimnent  of  his 
friends,  either  in  his  oAvn  house  or 
at  the  temple  of  the  idol.  This  in- 
junction Avas,  therefore,  designed  to 
forbid  the  Gentile  Christians  from 
eating  the  flesh  of  animals  Avhich 
had  been  offered  in  sacrifice  to  the 
heathen  gods.  The  temptation  to 
Avhich  they  A\^ere  exposed,  in  this  re- 
spect, and  the  coiTuption  which  Avas 
thus  introduced  into  their  faith,  are 
described  in  1  Cor.  viii.,  x.  14-23. 

—  Fornication.  This  is  mentioned 
in  connexion  Avith  idolatry,  because 
tlie  worship  of  the  heathen  temples 
wa&  often  polluted  by  this  vice,  and 


XV.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


219 


21  and  from  blood.  For  Moses  of  old  time  hath  in  every  city  them 
that  preach  him,  being  read  in  the  synagogues  every  Sabbath 
day. 


the  professed  acts  of  religion  itself 
mingled  with  the  most  horrible  licen- 
tiousness. The  tendencies  to  this 
sin  in  the  dissolute  cities  of  the  Eist, 
covered  as  it  was  by  a  professedly 
sacred  sanction,  were  so  strong,  that 
the  caution  to  the  Gentile  disciples 
was  by  no  means  superfluous.  1  Cor. 
V.  It  is  the  opinion  of  some  that, 
by  this  clause,  marriage  with  idola- 
ters, or  within  the  degrees  prohib- 
ited by  the  law,  or,  in  general,  all 
intercourse  forbidden  thereby,  was 
here  excluded,  as  offering  danger- 
ous temptation  to  apostasy  from  the 
Christian  faith.  —  jFVo^i  things  stran- 
gled^ and  from  blood.  They  Avere  to 
refrain  from  eating  the  flesh  of  ani- 
mals Avhich  had  been  strangled, 
which  was  an  abomination  to  the 
Jews,  but  in  high  esteem  among  the 
heathen ;  for  suffocated  or  strangled 
flesh  was  regarded  as  very  dehcious 
by  the  ancients.  Herodotus  relates 
that  the  Scythians  were  accustomed 
to  strangle  the  animals  oflered  in 
sacrifice  to  their  gods.  This  pre- 
cept, therefore,  was  aimed  against 
cruelty,  luxury,  and  intemperance. 
Abstinence  from  blood  is  enjoined 
on  the  ground  of  Gen.  ix.  4  ;  L-v. 
xvii.  10-14;  Deut.  xii.  23 ;  1  Sam. 
xiv.  34.  Milman  remarks,  that  "  The 
influence  of  James  effected  a  dis- 
creet and  temperate  compromise : 
Judaism,  as  it  were,  capitulited  on 
honorable  terms.  The  Christians 
Avere  to  be  left  to  that  freedom  en- 
joyed by  the  Proselytes  of  the  Gate, 
but  they  Avere  enjoined  to  pay  so 
much  respect  to  those  with  Avhom 
they  were  associated  in  religious 
Avorship,  as  to  abstain  from  those 
practices  Avhich  Avere  most  offensive 
to  their  habits.  The  partaking  of 
t!ie  sacrificial  feasts  in  the  idolatrous 
temples  Avas  so  plainly  repugnant  to 


the  first  principles,  either  of  the  Jcav- 
ish  or  the  Christian  theism,  as  to 
be  altogether  irreconcilable  Avith  the 
professed  opinions  of  a  proselyte  to 
either.  The  using  of  things  stran- 
gled, and  blood,  for  food,  appears  to 
have  been  the  most  revolting  to 
JoAvish  fe  ding ;  and  perhaps,  among 
the  dietetic  regulations  of  the  Mo- 
saic laAv,  none,  in  a  southern  climate, 
was  more  conducive  to  health.  The 
other  article  in  this  celebrated  de- 
cree Avas  a  moral  prohibition,  but  not 
improbably  directed  more  particu- 
larly against  the  dissolute  rites  of 
those  Syrian  and  Asiatic  religions, 
in  Avhich  prostitution  formed  an  es- 
sential part,  and  Avhich  prevailed  to 
a  great  extent  in  the  countries  bor- 
dering upon  Palestine."  Lardner 
has  clearly  shoAvn  that  these  pro- 
hibitions Avere  rather  temporary  and 
ceremonial  than  moral,  and  Avere  de- 
signed at  the  same  time  to  bring  the 
Gentile  Christians  nearer  to  the  Jcav- 
isli  converts,  by  abstaining  from  those 
things  which  Avere  abominable  to 
the  "latter ;  and  also  to  Avean  the 
Gentile  disciples  from  their  heathen 
customs  and  mode  of  living,  and  their 
sensual  and  idolatrous  rites.  A  feAV 
authorities  add,  as  a  fifth  injunction, 
"  And  not  to  do  to  others,  what  they 
Avould  not  have  done  to  themselves," 
—  a  very  good  command,  but  an 
unauthorized  reading  in  tlie  text 

21.  For  Moses  of  old  time  hath,  S,-c. 
The  sense  of  this  verse  appears  to 
be  that,  as  the  above  things  Avere 
essentially  prohibited  by  the  Jewish 
laAv,  Avhich  Avas  read  in  every  city  on 
the  Sabbith  day,  the  Gentile  con- 
verts ought  to  abstain  from  them  out 
of  deference  to  the  feelings  of  their 
Jewish  brethren,  if  for  no  other  rea- 
son. If  these  habits,  to  Avhich  the 
Gentiles  had  been  addicted  while 


220 


THE   ACTS 


[Chap. 


Then  pleased  it  the  apostles  and  elders,  with  the  whole  church,  22 
to  send  chosen  men  of  their  own  company  to  Antioch,  with  Paul 
and   Barnabas;    namely,  Judas  surnanied   Barsabas,  and   Silas, 
chief  men    among    the    brethren  :     and    wrote  letters   by  them  23 
after  this  manner ;    The  apostles,  and  elders,  and  brethren,  send 
greeting  unto  the  brethren  which  are  of  the  Gentiles  in  Antioch, 
and  Syria,  and  Cilicia.     Forasmuch  as  we  have  heard,  that  cer-  24 
tain  which  went  out   from  us,  have   troubled  you  with  words, 
subverting  your  souls,  saying,  Ye  must  be  circumcised,  and  keep 


idolaters,  were  not  rigidly  discon- 
tinued, there  Avould  be  a  constant 
source  of  irritation  existing,  from  the 
displeasure  of  the  Jewish  disciples 
towards  their  fellow-Christians.  — 
Being  read  in  the  sjpiagogues  evei'y 
Sabbath  day.  Josephus  says,  "  Our 
lawgiver,  Moses,  that  Ave  might  not 
be  ignorant  of  his  laws,  ordered  us 
to  let  all  other  business  alone,  and 
assemble  ourselves  for  hearing  the 
law  read,  and  getting  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  it,  not  once  only,  or 
twice,  or  frequently,  but  upon  every 
Sabbath  day ;  a  thing  which  all  other 
lawgivers  seem  to  have  omitted." 

22.  Then  pleased  it,  S^c.  There 
seems  to  have  been  no  further  dis- 
cussion, but  all  agreed  with  the  opin- 
ion of  the  wise  apostle.  In  the  lan- 
guage of  Luther,  "Therefore  they 
agree  that  James  should  prescribe, 
and  since  their  consciences  are  left 
free  and  unfettered,  that,  they  think, 
is  enough  for  them;  they  were  not 
so  envious  as  to  wish  to  quarrel  about 
a  little  thing,  provided  it  could  be 
done  without  damage."  —  Chosen 
tnen  of  their  own  company.  Prob- 
ably some  individuals  were  selected 
who  were  on  the  Jewish  side  of  the 
question,  as  Paul  and  Barnabas  took 
the  part  of  the  Gentiles.  For  it  was 
desirable,  in  order  to  gain  credence 
with  the  Jews  at  Antioch,  that  some, 
of  their  own  party  should  make 
known  to  them  the  decree.  —  Judas, 
surnamed  Barsabas.  Nothing  is 
elsewhere  known  of  tliis  individual. 


—  Silas.  Otherwise  called,  in  the 
Greek  form,  SilvaniLS.  Chap.  xvi. 
25,  xvii.  4 ;  2  Cor.  i.  19. 

23.  Wrote  letters.  Literally,  "  hav- 
ing written."  It  is  not  implied  that 
more  than  one  epistle  was  written, 
directed  to  the  different  churches.  — 
^^nd  brethren.  The  assembly  con- 
sisted, not  only  of  the  apostles  and 
elders,  but  also  of  private  Cliristians, 
who  had  a  voice  in  its  decisions  as 
much  as  Peter  or  Paul.  In  short,  it 
was  a  species  of  popular  convention, 
not  a  strict  council  in  which  none, 
excepting  those  possessing  certain 
credentials  and  qualifications,  could 
have  a  seat.  —  Send  greeting,  i^'c. 
The  brotherly  and  benignant  spirit 
of  this  letter  missive  is  widely  differ- 
ent from  most  of  the  decrees  of 
councils,  and  bulls  of  popes,  which 
have  been  ostensibly  issued  in  the 
Christian  name.  The  meaning  of  the 
word  "  greeting,"  in  the  original,  is, 
literally,  "  to  rejoice,"  or,  "  to  wish 
joy   or   health."  —  Jlntioch  —  Syria 

—  Cilicia.  The  controversy  raged 
principally  in  these  places,  tiiough 
the  letter  was  equally  applicable  to 
tlie  Avhole  Gentile  Avorld. 

24.  Certain  ivhich  went  out  from 
us.  Who  are  mentioned  in  ver.  1, 
but  who  had  no  authority  from  the 
church  at  Jerusalem.  —  Troubled  you 
with  words.  Or,  disturbed  you  Avith 
doctrines  and  discourses.  —  Subvert- 
ing your  souls.  Rather,  "unset- 
tling," or,  perverting  your  minds 
from  the  truth. 


XV.] 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


•221 


25  the  law ;  to  whom  we  gave  no  such  commandment :  it  seemed 
good  unto  us,  being  assembled  with  one  accord,  to  send  chosen 

2G  men  unto  you,  with  our  beloved  Barnabas  and  Paul :  men  that 
have  haznrded  their  lives  for  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

27  We  have  sent  therefore  Judas  and  Silas,  who  shall  also  tell  you 

28  the  same  things  by  mouth.  For  it  seemed  good  to  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  to  us,  to  lay  upon  you  no  greater  burden  than  these 

29  necessary  things ;  that  ye  abstain  from  meats  offered  to  idols,  and 
from  blood,  and  from  things  strangled,  and  from  fornication : 
from  which  if  ye  keep  yourselves,  ye  shall  do  well.     Fare  ye 

30  well. So  when  they  were  dismissed,  they  came  to  Antioch: 

and  when  they  had  gathered  the  multitude  together,  they  deliv- 

31  ered  the  epistle.      Wliich  when  they  had  read,  they  rejoiced  for 


25,  26.  It  seemed  good  unto  us,  &,'€. 
The  whole  character  of  the  epistle 
is  popular  and  advisory,  Avithout  any 
stamp  of  absolute  authority  on  one 
side,  or  cringing  subserviency  on  the 
other.  —  fVith  one  accord.  Or,  bet- 
ter, "  all  together."  —  Hazarded  their 
lives.  Chap.  xiv.  This  testimony  to 
their  heroic  and  self-sacrificing  spirit 
wfis  added  as  a  moral  weight  to 
their  authority  ;  nothing  was  claimed 
on  the  score  of  official  dignity,  but 
they  were  entitled  to  be  heard  as 
all-devoted  ministers  of  Christ,  ready 
to  yield  up  every  thing  to  his  cause. 

27.  Tell  you  the  same  things  by 
mouth.  Or,  "  verbally."  Belonging 
to  Uie  Jerusalem  party,  Judas  and 
Silas  would  be  able  to  explain,  in 
private  and  public,  more  at  length, 
the  reasons  of  the  decision,  and  soften 
the  rigid  prejudices  of  their  country- 
men, without  being  subject  to  tiie 
suspicions  and  jealousies  with  which 
Paul  and  Barnabas  were  regarded. 

28,  29.  Seemed  good  to  the  Holy 
GJiost  and  to  us,  i.  e.  to  ns  acting 
under  the  influence  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  Their  decision  was  made 
under  the  divine  sanction  in  general, 
though  there  is  no  special  inspira- 
tion at  the  time  claimed.  —  These 
necessary  things.     Necessary  to  the 

19* 


peace  and  prosperity  of  the  Christian 
churches.  —  Ye  shall  do  well.  It  will 
be  well  with  you,  or  promote  your 
salvation.  Doddridge  observes,  that 
"This  gentle  manner  of  concluding 
was  worthy  tlie  apostolical  wisdom 
and  goodness.  Too  soon  did  suc- 
ceeding councils,  of  inferior  author- 
ity, change  it  for  the  style  of  anathe- 
mas ;  forms  which  have,  I  doubt  not, 
proved  an  occasion  of  consecrating 
some  of  the  worst  passions  of  the 
human  mind  under  sacred  names,  and 
which,  like  some  ill-judged  weapons 
of  war,  are  most  likely  to  hurt  the 
hand  from  which  they  are  thrown." 
—  Fare  ye  well.  Literally,  "be  ye 
strong,  well." 

30,  .31.  Had  gathered  the  multitude 
togetJier,  i.  e.  the  Antiochian  church. 
Tlie  popular  air  of  all  the  proceed- 
ings in  this  chapter  is  very  observa- 
ble. The  great  body  of  Christians 
in  Antioch  met  together  to  listen  to 
the  advice  which  had  been  sent  to 
them  from  the  great  body  of  Chris- 
tians at  Jerusalem.  —  Rejoiced  for 
the  consolation.  Or,  "  for  the  direc- 
tion," or,  instruction.  They  re- 
joiced because  the  Gentiles  were 
exempted  from  a  painful  yoke,  and 
their  minds  were  definitely  settled 
on  this  agitating  question. 


222 


TflE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


the  consolation.  And  Judas  and  Silas,  being  prophets  also  them-  32 
selves,  exhorted  the  brethren  with  many  words,  and  confirmed 
them.  And  after  they  had  tarried  there  a  space,  they  were  let  33 
go  in  peace  from  the  brethren  unto  the  apostles.  Notwithstand-  34 
ing,  it  pleased  Silas  to  abide  there  still.  Paul  also  and  Barnabas  35 
continued  in  Antioch,  teaching  and  preaching  the  word  of  the 
Lord,  with  many  others  also. 

And  some  days   after,  Paul   said   unto  Barnabas,  Let  us  go  36 
again    and    visit    our    brethren,   in    every    city   where    we    have 
preached  the   word  of  the  Lord,  and  see  how  they  do.     And  37 
Barnabas  determined  to  take  with  them  John,  whose  surname 
was  Mark,     But  Paul  thought  not  good  to  take  him  with  them,  38 
who   departed  from  them  from   Pamphylia,  and   went  not  with 


32, 33.  Being  prophets.  Or,  re- 
ligious teachers.  —  Confirmed  them, 
i.  e.  strengthened  their  minds  in  the 
decision  already  made.  The  epistle 
•was  very  brief,  and  there  was  much 
room  for  explaining  and  enforcing 
it.  —  In  peace.  The  whole  business 
had  been  amicably  adjusted,  and  the 
delegates  from  Jerusalem  were  dis- 
missed in  brotherly  love.  The  great 
controversy,  however,  was  by  no 
means  put  to  a  final  rest,  for  no 
small  portion  of  the  epistles  of  Paul 
is  occupied  with  its  discussion ;  in 
which  he  combated,  with  the  great- 
est energy  and  eloquence,  the  big- 
otry of  the  Jewish  Christians,  and 
strove  for  the  liberty  of  Christ. 

34.  This  whole  verse  has  been 
regarded  as  of  doubtful  authority,  by 
numerous  critics,  not  being  found  in 
many  authorities.  Some  manuscripts 
add  to  the  received  text,  "  but  Judas 
onlv  departed." 

35,  36.  The  history  of  Paul  and 
Barnabas  is  again  resumed,  and  their 
powerful  exertions  described  in  pro- 
moting, both  at  home  and  abroad, 
that  cause  which  was  dearer  to  them 
than  ease  or  life  itself.  —  Let  us  go 
again.  The  zeal  of  Paul  projected  a 
second  journey  throughout  all  places 


which  they  had  previously  visited. 
The  dangers  to  which  many  Chris- 
tian converts  were  exposed,  with 
Jewish  exclusiveness  on  one  side, 
and  Gentile  idolatry  on  the  other, 
rendered  these  visitations  necessary 
to  the  growth  of  feeble  and  perse- 
cuted churches.  The  coming  of  the 
apostles  would  infuse  new  courage 
into  the  desponding,  awe  overbear- 
ing enemies,  and  nip  many  luxuriant 
evils  in  the  bud.  —  How  they  do,  i.  e. 
religiously. 

37.  John,  ivhose  surname  iras  Mark. 
The  evangelist.  The  interest  of 
Barnabas  in  Mark,  as  his  nephew. 
Col.  iv.  10,  was  probably  the  chief 
reason  of  his  being  so  strenuous  to 
have  him  as  a  travelling  companion 
and  assistant. 

38.  Who  departed  from  them,  %'C. 
We  are  left  to  conjecture,  without 
any  light  from  history  on  the  sub- 
ject "  It  is  uncertain  whether  Paul 
was  unreasonable  or  Mark  unfaith- 
ful." But  the  former  Avas  highly 
displeased,  and  refused  to  have  the 
latter  as  an  associate  in  the  work, 
though  he  afterwards  became  recon- 
ciled, and  spoke  of  him  with  interest. 
Col.  iv.  10 ;  2  Tim.  iv.  11 ;  Phile- 
mon, 24. 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


2*23 


XV.] 

39  them  to  the  work.  And  the  contention  was  so  sharp  between 
them,  that  they  departed  asunder  one  from  the  other :  and  so 
Barnabas  took  Mark,  and  sailed  unto  Cyprus. 

40  And  Paul  chose  Silas,  and  departed,  being  recommended  by 

41  the  brethren  unto  the  grace  of  God.  And  he  went  through  Syria 
and  Cilicia,  confirming  the  churches. 


39.  The  contention  was  so  sharp. 
The  severest  animosities  often  grow 
out  of  the  slightest  cause,  as  more 
temper  was  manifested  in  this  dis- 
pute about  a  small  affair,  than  in  the 
settlement  of  the  Jewish  and  Gentile 
controversy.  Though  inspired,  the 
apostles  were  still  men,  and  were 
liable  to  the  infirmities  and  passions 
of  men.  It  adds  to  the  credibility 
of  the  sacred  history,  to  see  them 
introduced  as  they  were,  in  the  cos- 
tume of  real  life,  with  their  sins  and 
weaknesses  about  them ;  yet  still 
holding  forth  the  word  of  life,  tiie 
light  of  the  world,  and  doing  and 
daring  sublimely  in  its  behalf.  Paul 
and  Barnabas  become  more  real  to 
our  hearts  and  our  faith,  from  the 
fact,  that  not  every  fault  is  studious- 
ly veiled  from  our  sight,  but  they  are 
seen  to  have  the  touch  and  soil  of 
humanity  upon  tliem,  and  are  pre- 
sented to  us  in  their  distinct  indi- 
viduality. —  Chfprns.  The  country 
of  Barnabas.     1  Cor.  ix.  6. 

40,  41.  Chose  Silas.  Ver.  34.  It 
was  desirable,  and  necessary,  that 
the  early  preachers  should  not  go 
forth  single-handed.  They  needed 
sympathy,  help,  defence ;  in  one  Avord, 
a  conpdant.  The  wisdom  of  Jesus 
was  shown  by  his  sending  forth  his 
preachers  two  by  two.  Luke  x.  1.  — 
The  grace.  "  The  favor,"  or,  pro- 
tection, of  God. —  Co7ifirming.  See 
note  on  chap.  xiv.  22. 

In  reference  to  the  subjects  con- 
tained in  this  chapter,  it  may  be  re- 
marked, (1.)  In  the  language  of 
Doddridge,  —  "  How  early  did  the 
spirit  of  bigotry  and  imposition  be- 


gin to  work  in  the  Christian  church ! 
that  fatal  humor  of  imposing  a  yoke 
on  the  neck  of  Christ's  disciples,  by 
making  indifferent  things  necessary  ! 
an  unmanly  and  anti-Christian  dis- 
position ;  Avhich  has  almost  ever  since 
been  rending  the  church  to  pieces, 
and  clamorously  throwing  the  blame 
on  those  who  have  been  desirous,  on 
principles  truly  evangelical,  to  stand 
fast  in  the  liberty  with  which  their 
Divine  Master  has  made  them  free. 
How  foolish  and  how  mischievous 
the  error,  of  making  terms  of  com- 
munion which  Christ  has  never 
made !  and  how  presumptuous  the 
arrogance  of  invading  his  throne,  to 
pronounce  from  thence  damnatory 
sentences  on  those  who  will  not, 
who  dare  not,  submit  to  our  uncom- 
missioned and  usurped  authority  ! " 

(2.)  We  learn  that  the  nature  of 
their  inspiration  was  not  such  as  to 
preclude  the  exercise  of  the  apostles' 
minds,  difference  of  opinion  upon 
some  subjects  among  themselves,  and 
liability  to  temptation  and  sin. 

(.3.)  But,  in  the  beautiful  spirit  in 
which  the  Gentile  controversy  was 
adjusted,  we  discern  the  Master's 
benediction  of  peace  and  love  still 
brooding,  apparently,  over  the  bands 
of  his  disciples,  and  uniting  each  to 
each,  and  all  to  him.  How  widely, 
how  sadly  different  from  tliat  clangor 
of  war  and  hoarse  dispute  which  we 
hear  echoing  along  the  succeeding 
line  of  Christian  history,  from  age  to 
age,  even  to  our  own  day !  We 
despairingly  ask.  Where  has  been 
the  love  of  the  Master  ?  Where  has 
been  the  love  of  the  brethren  ? 


224 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

Paul  and  Silas  pass  from  Asia  Minor  to  Macedonia  ;  are  imprisoned  at  Phtlippi, 
and  delivered  from  their  Enemies  by  the  Interposition  of  God. 

XHEN  came  he  to  Derbe  and  Lystra :  and  behold,  a  certain 
disciple  was  there,  named  Tirnotheus,  the  son  of  a  certain  wo- 
man which  was  a  Jewess,  and  believed,  but  his  father  was  a 
Greek :  which  was  well  reported  of  by  the  brethren  that  were  2 
at  Lystra  and  Iconium.  Him  would  Paul  have  to  go  forth  with  3 
him  ;  and  took  and  circumcised  him,  because  of  the  Jews  which 
were  in  those  quarters  :    for  they  knew  all  that  his  father  was  a 


(4.)  In  the  assembly  at  Jerusa- 
lem, we  read  no  rigid  precedents  for 
all  following  time,  but  valuable  ex- 
amples, whose  spirit  is  immortal. 
There  was  no  arrogance,  no  assump- 
tion, no  tyranny.  All  hear,  and  are 
heard.  It  was,  as  it  should  be,  a 
meeting  of  brothers.  It  breathed  not 
maledictions,  but  benedictions.  It 
was  called  for  a  special  object,  and 
that  object  is  kept  in  view,  and  set- 
tled. From  this  first  council,  as  it  is 
called,  was  issued,  though  James  pre- 
sided, and  Paul  reasoned,  not  com- 
mands, but  advice  ;  not  dictations,  but 
suggestions.  No  creed  was  framed, 
no  confession  of  faith  drawn  up,  no 
mode  of  church  government  estab- 
lished, no  ordinances  enacted  ;  but 
all  Avas  left  in  the  same  freedom  in 
which  it  was  found,  and  the  injunc- 
tions made  were  prohibitory,  not  pos- 
itive. Such  a  narrative  ought  not  to 
be  read  in  vain  by  the  belligerent, 
exclusive,  and  self-righteous  sects 
of  Christendom ! 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
],  2.  Derbe  and  Lystra.  See  note 
on  chap.  xiv.  6.  —  Tirnotheus.  The 
Latin  of  Timothy,  to  whom  Paul  ad- 
dressed two  of  his  epistles.  —  ^  Jew- 
ess, and  believed,  i.  e.  was  originally  a 
Jewess,  but  afterwards  became  a  con- 
vert to  Christianity,  probably  at  the 
time  of  the  previous  visit  of  Paul  and 
B-^niabas.     Chap.  xiv.     A  high  char- 


acter is  given  to  Eunice,  the  mother, 
and  to  Lois,  the  grandmother,  of 
Timothy,  in  2  Tim.  i.  5.  He  had 
been  religiously  educated  at  home, 
and  the  impressions  of  his  early  years 
were  not  lost.  Prov.  xxii.  6.  Paley 
has  noticed,  in  his  Horce  PaulincB, 
the  undesigned,  and  therefore  weigh- 
ty, coincidences  between  the  fact 
here  stated,  that  the  mother  of  Tim- 
othy was  a  Jewess  that  believed,  and 
the  mention  of  her  faith,  2  Tim.  i.  5 ; 
and  again  betAveen  the  silence  of  the 
epistle  in  relation  to  the  other  parent, 
and  the  silence  of  the  Acts  as  to  his 
faith  ;  the  circumstance  only  that  he 
was  a  Gentile  being  given.  —  A 
Greek.  Or,  Gentile.  It  was  con- 
trary to  the  JeAvish  institutions  for 
the  chosen  people  to  contract  matri- 
monial alliances  Avith  heathen  na- 
tions, Ezra  ix.  12 ;  but  it  was  re- 
garded as  less  heinous  for  females 
to  marry  Gentile  husbands  than  for 
males  to  marry  Gentile  Avives,  though 
both  connections  Avere  not  infrequent 
—  JVhich.  Who,  i.  e.  Timothy.  — 
Was  ivell  reported  of.  Or,  "  held  in 
good  repute."  This  testimony  cor- 
responds to  his  general  character,  as 
exhibited  in  both  the  epistles  of  Paul 
to  his  Christian  laborer.  1  Tim.  vi. 
12;  2  Tim.  i.  5,  iii.  14,15. 

3.  Circumcised  him  — for  they  knew 
all.  Or,  "all  knew."  It  was  cus- 
tomary, according  to  the  TaJmuds, 
for  the  fatlier  to  have  control  of  his 


XVI.] 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


225 


4  Greek :   and  as  they  went  through  the  cities,  they  delivered  them 
the  decrees  for  to  keep,  tliat  were  ordained  of  the  apostles  and 

5  elders  which  were  at  Jerusalem.     And  so  were  the  churches 
established  in  the  faith,  and   increased   m  number  daily. 

6  Now,  when  they  had  gone  throughout  Phrygia,  and  the  region 
of  Galatia,  and  were  forbidden  of  the  Holy  Ghost  to  preach  the 

7  word  in  Asia;   after  they  were  come  to  Mysia,  they  assayed  to 


children's  religious  observances ;  and, 
because  his  father  Avas  a  Gentile, 
Timothy  was  not  circumcised.  As 
Paul  wished  to  employ  him  as  a  co- 
worker witli  himself,  among  Jews  as 
well  as  Gentiles,  the  rite  of  circum- 
cision was  performed  as  a  mere  pru- 
dential regulation,  in  deference  to 
Jewish  prejudices ;  since,  for  a  half- 
Jew  not  to  be  circumcised,  would  be 
worse  than  for  one,  Gentile-born,  to 
neglect  it.  Chap.  xxi.  20.  Paul 
Avas  firm  to  withstand,  to  the  last 
point,  the  requirement  of  circumcis- 
ion as  an  essential  to  the  Christian 
profession,  as  is  evident  from  the 
case  of  Titus.  Gal.  ii.  3,  4,  5,  v.  6. 
The  decree  of  tlie  Christian  assem- 
bly at  Jerusalem,  chap,  xv.,  had  de- 
cided that  matter  in  relation  to  the 
pure  Gentiles  ;  but  Timothy  was  par- 
tially a  debtor,  so  to  speak,  by  his 
birth,  to  the  Jewish  law  ;  and,  though 
the  apostle  was  so  unyielding  where 
the  rite  was  demanded  as  necessary, 
lie  would,  in  the  exercise  of  a  gen- 
erous charity,  yield  much  to  the  scru- 
ples of  his  weaker  brethren,  where 
no  principle  would  be  compromised. 
Horn.  xiv.  21 ;  1  Cor.  viii.  13,  ix.  20-22. 
4,  5.  The  decrees.  See  chap.  xv. 
'Zi-2d.  —  EstablisJied  in  the  faith, 
and  increased,  c^-c.  This  was  the  re- 
sult of  those  wise  and  judicious  meas- 
ures that  had  been  adopted,  by  which 
the  Gentiles  were  exempted  from  the 
burdensome  ritual  of  Moses.  The 
prosperity  of  the  Christian  church, 
in  every  age,  intimately  depends  up- 
on its  being  kept  pure  from  foreign 
admixtures  of  ceremonies  and  doc- 


trines not  essential  to  its  nature,  or 
perhaps  at  variance  with  it,  when 
rightly  understood. 

6.  Phrygia.  A  large  central  prov- 
ince of  Asia  Minor,  surrounded  by 
Cappadocia,  Galatia,  Mysia,  Lydia, 
Caria,  Lycaonia,  Pisidia,  Lysia,  and 
Bithynia.  Its  inlmbitants  claimed 
to  be  the  most  ancient  people  in  the 
world,  and  even  the  Egyptians  yield- 
ed them  the  palm  in  that  respect. 
The  capital  was  Apamea.  And,  of 
"  the  seven  churches  "  mentioned  in 
the  Apocalypse,  two,  Laodicea  and 
Colosse,  to  which  Paul  wrote  one  of 
his  epistles,  were  situated  in  this  dis- 
trict. —  Galatia.  Another  province 
of  Asia  Minor,  bounded  by  Pontus, 
Phrygia,  Cappadocia,  Paphlagonia. 
and  Bithynia.  It  derived  its  name 
from  a  colony  of  Gauls,  who  emi- 
grated thither,  in  the  third  century 
before  Christ,  in  quest  of  new  habi- 
tations. One  of  the  epistles  of  Paul 
is  directed  to  the  Galatians.  —  Were 
forbidden  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Or,  by 
a  prompting,  or  revelation,  of  that 
Spirit  of  God,  under  whose  sanc- 
tions and  directions  they  acted.  The 
reasons  of  the  prohibition  are  not 
given,  though  we  may  conjecture 
that  the  object  was  to  spread  more 
widely  the  life-giving  power  of  Chris- 
tian truth. —  Asia.  By  which  is 
meant,  not  the  whole  region  of  Asia 
Minor,  but  Proconsular  Asia,  includ 
ing  several  districts  of  Mysia,  Caria, 
Lydia,  &c.,  of  which  the  capital  was 
Ephesus.     Rev.  i.  11. 

7.  Mysia.     This  was   situated  in 
the  north-west  part  of  Asia  Minor, 


226 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


go  into  Bithyni-/:    but  the  Spirit  suffered  them  not.     And  they,  8 
passing  by  Mysia,  came  down  to  Troas.     And  a  vision  appeared  9 
to  Paul  in  the  night:    There  stood  a  man  of  Macedonia,  and 
prayed  him,  saying,  Come  over  into  Macedonia,  and   help  us. 
And  after  he  had  seen  the  vision,  immediately  we  endeavored  to  lO 
go  into  Macedonia,  assuredly  gathering,  that  the  Lord  had  called 
us  for  to  preach  the  gospel  unto  them. 


and  had  for  its  boundaries  Bithynia, 
Phrygia,  Lydia,  the  Mediterranean, 
Hellespont,  and  Propontis.  Its  prin- 
cipal town  was  Pergamus. —  Jissayed. 
Or,  attempted.  —  Bithynia.  A  prov- 
ince east  of  Mysia,  bounded  by  that 
district,  Paphlagonia,  Phrygia,  Gala- 
tia,  and  the  waters  of  the  Euxine, 
Bosphorus,  and  Propontis.  —  But  the 
Spirit.  Or,  as  most  critics  read,  in 
obedience  to  the  best  ancient  author- 
ities, "  the  spirit  of  Jesus  ; "  the  spir- 
it which  Jesus  had  promised.  Dr. 
Adam  Clarke  observes  that  this 
"  reading  is  undoubtedly  genuine, 
and  should  be  immediately  restored 
to  the  text." 

8.  Troas.  Or,  the  Troad.  This 
was  the  name  of  a  maritime  district 
of  Mysia.  It  was  immortalized  as 
being  the  scene  of  the  epic  poem  of 
Homer,  the  Iliad,  and  also  of  part  of 
the  ^Eneid,  by  Virgil.  Troas  is  also 
the  name  of  a  city  in  the  district  of 
Troas,  at  the  distance  of  about  four 
miles,  as  is  conjectured,  from  tlie 
site  of  ancient  Troy.  Acts  xx.  5 ; 
2  Cor.  ii.  12 ;  2  Tim.  iv.  13. 

9.  A  vision,  &fc.  Whether  by  a 
dream,  or  otherwise,  can  only  be 
matter  of  inference  and  conjecture. 
—  A  man  of  Macedonia.  A  man  in 
the  costume  of  that  land.  Macedo- 
nia Avas  a  large  country  in  Europe, 
lying  across  the  waters  of  the  Hel- 
lespont, and  the  northern  part  of  the 
iEgean  Sea,  from  Troas,  and  bound- 
ed on  the  south  by  Epirus  and  Thes- 
saly,  on  the  north  by  Dardania  and 
Mcesia,  on  the  east  by  Thrace  and 
tlie  ^gean  Sea,  and  on  the  west  by 


the  Adriatic  Sea,  and  Illyricum.  It 
was  distinguished  as  the  kingdom  of 
Philip  and  his  son  Alexander  the 
Great,  who,  about  three  centuries  be- 
fore Christ,  made  himself  master  of 
almost  all  tlie  then  known  world.  But 
the  overgrown  empire  was  divided, 
after  his  death,  by  his  ambitious  gen- 
erals ;  and  Macedonia  fell  a  prey,  in 
process  of  time,  to  the  conquests  of 
the  Romans  under  Paulus  ^milius. 
—  Cowie  over,  ^c,  i.  e.  come  over  and 
help  us  by  preaching  the  gospel. 
Christianity  had  not  yet  been  intro- 
duced into  Europe ;  and  the  genius 
of  the  whole  continent,  and  even  of 
ages  to  come,  the  genius  of  vast  mul- 
titudes of  men  seeking  for  light  and 
peace,  and  finding  none,  appeared,  as 
it  were,  in  the  person  of  that  seem- 
ing Macedonian  man,  and  asked  for 
"  help."  That  word  beautifully  de- 
scribes the  chief  office  of  the  Chris- 
tian religion,  in  its  blessed  influence 
upon  the  world.  It  is  help,  guidance, 
light.  It  is  help  to  aid  man  in  work- 
ing out  his  own  salvation ;  in  being 
good,  and  doing  good.  It  is  not  a 
substitute  for  his  own  exertions,  but 
a  quickener  and  director  of  them. 
It  saves  man  by  helping  him  save 
himself. 

10.  We  endeavored.  Or,  "  w^e 
adopted,  or  sought  means."  By 
the  use  of  the  first  person  plural, 
the  commentators  infer  that  Luke 
now,  for  the  first  time,  became  at- 
tached to  tlie  party  of  Paul,  and 
henceforth  travelled  witli  him,  as  is 
indicated,  through  most  of  the  re- 
mainder of  the  Acts,  by  the  sign  of 


XVI.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLfc:S. 


2*^7 


11  Therefore  loosing  from  Troas,  we  came  with  a  straight  course 

12  to  Samothracia,  and  the  next  day  to  Neapolis ;  and  from  thence 
to  Philippi,  which  is  the  chief  city  of  that  part  of  Macedonia,  and 

13  a  colony  :  and  we  were  in  that  city  abiding  certain  days.  And 
on  the  Sabbath  we  went  out  of  the  city  by  a  river  side,  where 
prayer  was  wont  to  be  made ;   and  we  sat  down,  and  spake  unto 


the  pronoun  used  above.  A  consid- 
erable portion  of  the  history,  there- 
fore, is  that  of  an  eye  and  ear-wit- 
ness. —  Assuredly  gathering.  Or, 
inferring  with  great  certainty. 

1 1.  Loosing  from.  A  nautical  term, 
"  sailed  aAvay."  —  With  a  straight 
course.  Over  the  iEgean  Sea,  now 
the  Archipelago.  —  Samothracia.  Or, 
Samothrace.  This  was  an  island  in 
the  ^gean,  about  thirty  miles  in  cir- 
cumference. It  was  called  Samo- 
thrace, or  the  Samos  of  Thrace,  to 
distinguish  it  from  other  places  of 
the  same  name.  It  was  an  asylum 
ibr  criminals  and  adventurers.  Its 
madern  name  is  Samandrachi.  —  JVe- 
apolis.  This  was  a  seaport  in  Ma- 
cedonia, or,  according  to  some  wri- 
ters, in  Thrace.  Neapolis  was  not 
fir  from  Philippi.  Its  present  name 
is  JVapoli.  It  is  situated  between 
one  and  two  hundred  miles  from 
Tro^s. 

1'2.  Philippi.  This  city  was  origi- 
nally within  the  limits  of  ancient 
Thrace ;  but,  being  conquered  by 
Philip,  the  father  of  Alexander  the 
Greit,  he  gave  to  it  his  own  name. 
It  was  celebrated  as  the  battle-field 
of  Cesar  against  Pompey,  and  also, 
afterwards,  of  Antony  and  Augustus 
agfain^t  Brutus  and  Cassius,  in  the 
first,  century  before  the  advent  of  the 
Messiah.  —  Which  is  the  chief  city. 
Or,  one  of  the  chief  cities,  or  the 
chief  city  which  is  a  colony  in  that 
country.  After  Macedonia  had  been 
conquered  by  Paulus  ^Emilius,  it  was 
divided  into  four  parts,  and  Philippi 
was  one  of  the  principal  cities  in 
Macedonia  Prima,  or  the  first  part, 
though  not  the  capital,  for  that  was 


Amphipolis,  according  to  Livy.  — 
And  a  colony.  Or,  more  simply, 
without  the  conjunction,  "  a  colony," 
as  it  is  put  in  apposition  to  Philippi. 
This  fact,  long  standing  unsupport- 
ed by  any  evidence,  has  been  unex- 
pectedly corroborated  by  coins  which 
have  been  discovered  in  later  times. 
It  appears,  by  their  veracious  testi- 
mony, that  Julius  Cesar  planted  a 
colony  here,  and  granted  high  privi- 
leges to  the  place,  which  were  af- 
terwards augmented  by  gifts  from 
Augustus,  the  succeeding  emperor. 
There  were  colonies  of  different 
rank,  according  to  the  favors  grant- 
ed them,  and  called  by  different  ti- 
tles, as  Roman,  Latin,  Italian,  and 
military :  —  to  which  class  Philippi 
belonged,  is  beyond  our  knowledge. 
13.  By  a  river  side,  where  prayer 
loas  wont  to  he  made.  The  name  of 
the  river  is  unknown,  though  it  is 
conjectured  to  be  the  Strymon,  or  a 
branch  of  it.  It  was  a  Jewish  prac- 
tice to  have  oratories,  or  proseuchfBj 
or  places  of  prayer,  near  some  water, 
in  order  to  be  accommodated  in  the 
numerous  ablutions  which  were  con- 
nected with  their  religion.  Thus 
Josephus  remarks  —  and  other  an- 
cient writers  might  be  quoted  to  the 
same  effect  —  that  the  city  of  Hali- 
carnassus  decreed  permission  to  the 
Jews  to  erect  these  edifices.  "  We 
ordain  that  the  Jews  who  are  willing, 
both  men  and  women,  do  observe  the 
Sabbaths  ;  and  perform  sacred  rites, 
according  to  the  Jewish  law ;  and 
build  proseuch.fB  (or  places  for  prayer) 
by  the  sea-side,  according  to  the  cus- 
tom of  their  country;  and  if  any 
man,  whetlier  magistrate  or  private 


238 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


the  women  which  resorted  thither.     And  a  certain  woman  named  14 
Lydia,  a  seller  of  purple,  of  the  city  of  Thyatira,  which  wor- 
shipped God,  heard  us:  whose  heart  the  Lord  opened,  that  she 
attended  unto  the  things  which  were  spoken  of  Paul.    And  when  15 
she  was  baptized,  and  her  household,  she  besought  us,  saying,  If 
ye  have  judged  me  to  be  faithful  to  the  Lord,  come  into  my 


person,  give  them  any  hinderance  or 
disturbance,  he  shall  pay  a  fine  to 
the  city."  An  early  act  of  tolera- 
tion. —  Sat  doion.  Took  the  position 
of  public  teachers. —  Women.  Who, 
perhaps,  came  at  one  hour,  and  the 
men  at  another,  for  the  purposes  of 
worship;  or,  probably,  the  services 
had  not  then  commenced. 

14.  Lydia.  Her  name  being  de- 
rived, it  is  likely,  from  the  country 
of  her  residence.  —  A  seller  of  pur- 
ple. Purple  was  a  color  of  great 
cost  and  richness,  which  was  made 
from  a  shell-fish,  and  garments  col- 
ored with  which  were  worn  chiefly 
by  the  wealthy  and  powerful.  —  Thy- 
atira. This  was  a  city  of  Lydia,  a 
province  of  Asia  Minor,  situated  near 
Mysia,  and  now  called  Ak-hisar.  It 
is  remarkable,  as  furnishing  an  inci- 
dental proof  to  the  veracity  of  the 
history  here  given,  that  an  inscription 
has  been  discovered,  in  modern  times, 
in  the  ruins  of  this  city,  which  was 
made  by  the  corporation  of  dyers,  (it 
concludes  with  the  word  dyrrs,)  in 
honor  of  a  distinguished  Roman,  in 
the  reign  of  Caracalla,  by  the  name  of 
Antonius  Claudius  x\lphenus.  Thus 
truth  bears  the  test  of  ages,  and  finds 
strong  confirmations  in  every  discov- 
ery and  research  of  the  learned,  be- 
cause they  often  reveal  circumstan- 
tial and  undesigned  coincidences. — 
JVhich  worshipped  God.  Or,  was  a 
proselyte.  —  Whose  heart  th".  Lord 
opened.  This  is  a  Hebrew  form  of 
speech  to  describe  what  takes  place 
in  tlie.  course  of  divine  providence, 
as  if  it  were  effected  by  a  special  in- 
strumentality of  Heaven.  Thus  the 
Lord  was  said  to  harden  Pharaoh's 


heart,  Ex.  x.  1,  and  to  prompt  David 
to  number  the  people,  2  Sam.  xxiv. 
],  though  in  neither  case  is  the  lan- 
guage to  be  taken  literally,  but  fig- 
uratively. So  profound  and  earnest 
was  the  piety  of  the  Hebrews,  that 
they  associated  God  with  every  thing, 
and  every  thing  with  God,  so  that  no 
philosophical  line  was  ever  drawn  by 
them  of  the  limits  of  human  respon- 
sibility. In  the  case  of  Lydia,  wo 
recognize  a  soul  already  devout  and 
weil-disposed,  a  mind  waiting  and 
thirsting  for  higher  and  purer  truth. 
This  happy  condition  of  spiritiuil  in- 
terest is  attributed  to  God,  for  lie  is 
the  First  Cause  of  all  causes,  ^e 
prime  Agent  and  Mover  of  all ; 
though  there  is  still  room  left  for  the 
freedom  of  human  choice,  and  for  the 
guilt  of  grieving  away,  or  tlie  virtue  of 
welcoming  and  cherishing,  the  Spirit 
of  truth.  In  short,  she  was,  under 
the  grace  and  providence  of  God, 
converted  from  a  state  of  spiritual 
blindness  to  light,  and  peace,  and  joy. 
1 5.  She  was  baptized,  and  her  hoiise- 
hold.  She  submitted  to  the  ini- 
tiatory rite  of  Christian  profession, 
agreeably  to  the  comma,nds  of  Christ, 
and  the  practice  of  the  apostles. 
The  fact  that  her  household  was  also 
baptized  certainly  strengthens  the 
idea  that  personal  belief  was  not 
always  a  prerequisite  to  baptism  ;  for, 
supposing  there  were  no  infants  in 
the  fimiily,  it  would  have  been  re- 
markable, indeed,  if  each  household 
baptized,  as  that  of  Lydia,  that  of  the 
jailer,  ver.  33,  and  that  of  Crispus, 
chap,  xviii.  8,  1  Cor.  i.  14,  and  that 
of  Stephanas,  1  Cor.  i.  16,  had  been 
composed  of  adult  persons,  or  those 


XVLj 


OF  TilE  APOSTLr.S. 


2:^3 


16  house,  and  abide  there :    And   she  constrained  us. 


And  it 


came  to  pass  as  we  went  to  prayer,  a  certain  damsel,  possessed 
with  a  spirit  of  divination,  met  us,  which  brought  her  masters 


arrived  at  years  of  discretion;  and 
not  only  so,  but  that  all  these  indi- 
viduals believed  simultaneously  with 
the  head  of  the  family,  and  were  bap- 
tized not  only  as  households,  agree- 
ably to  the  custom  of  circumcision, 
and  also  agreeably  to  tlie  custom  of 
baptism  among  proselytes  to  Juda- 
ism, as  Lightfoot  has  abundantly 
shown  from  the  Talmuds,  but  were 
all  baptized  as  personal  believers  in 
the  gospel.  Nevertheless,  it  is  con- 
ceded, that  it  is  matter  of  inference, 
whether  tlie  subjects  of  baptism,  in 
this  and  the  other  cases,  were  young 
or  old,  or  whether  they  Avere  all  be- 
lievers or  not;  the  only  and  the 
strong  question  being,  on  which  side 
do  probabilities  incline,  in  favor  or 
against  infant  baptism;  and  we  be- 
lieve they  do  decidedly  in  favor  of 
that  holy  and  beautiful  rite ;  or,  at 
least,  that  faith  on  the  part  of  the 
subject  of  baptism  was  not  an  essen- 
tial prerequisite  in  every  instance.  — 
Come  into  my  house.  She  forthwith 
put  her  religion  into  exercise,  by 
practising  the  Christian  virtue  of 
hospitality,  so  important,  and  so  often 
enjoined  at  that  period.  Phil.  iv.  3  ; 
Ueb.  xiii.  2;  1  Peter  iv.  9;  Mat.  x. 
40-42. 

16.  ^s  ive  ivent  to  prayer.  Or,  to 
the  place  of  prayf*r,  or  oratory ;  on 
another  occasion  from  that  last  re- 
lated. —  ^^  certain  damsel.  Or,  fe- 
male servant  or  slave.  —  Possessed 
tv'th  a  spirit  of  divination.  Or,  as  the 
original  and  margin  read,  "  witli  a 
spirit  of  Python."  This  is  a  classi- 
cal allusion  to  the  ancient  mythology. 
Python  was  a  serpent  or  dragon, 
fabled  to  have  been  killed  by  Apollo, 
to  whom  the  name  also  of  tJie  mon- 
ster was  transferred,  and  he  was 
called  the  Pythian  Apollo.  Hence 
diviners  and  soothsayers  were  called 
VOL.  III.  20 


by  the  same  name,  as  the  priestesses 
in  the  temple  of  Apollo  were  believed 
to  be  inspired  by  the  god,  and  to 
utter  oracles  when  in  the  state  of 
enthusiasm  and  ecstasy.  This  popu- 
lar term  was  adopted  by  the  sacred 
writer,  without,  of  course,  endorsing 
the  truth  or  error  of  that  belief  of  the 
Gentile  world.  The  language  of 
the  times  was  used  —  the  modes  of 
speech,  the  idioms,  the  phrases, — 
because  that  was  the  only  language 
which  could  be  understood  by  the 
generality.  The  girl  in  question 
was  probably  melancholy  or  insane, 
which  gave  rise  to  the  idea  that  she 
was  possessed  with  a  different  spirit 
from  her  own.  Her  owners  readily 
turned  her  disease  to  an  account,  and 
employed  her,  for  the  purpose  of  gain, 
as  a  diviner  of  future  events,  or  a 
soothsayer,  or  fortune-teller.  It  is 
not  incredible  that  many  were  easily 
imposed  upon  in  that  age  of  igno- 
rance and  superstition,  when,  even  at 
this  day,  there  are  thousands  that 
can  be  duped  by  any  impostor  or 
fanatic  Avho  possesses  cunning  and 
address.  She  was,  perhaps,  sincere 
in  the  belief  that  she  was  really  pos- 
sessed by  the  spirit  of  the  Pythian 
god;  as  the  priestess  of  Apollo  at 
Delphos  Avas  affected,  probably,  by 
the  mephitic  gas  which  arose  from 
the  earth  where  the  tripod,  on  Avhich 
she  sat,  was  placed.  It  has  been  the 
opinion  of  some  critics,  that  this  a\^o- 
man  Avas  also  a  ventriloquist,  or  one 
Avho  could  utter  sounds  from  the 
brea.st,  Avithout  any  perceptible  mo- 
tion of  the  lips.  —  Much  gain.  The 
credulity  of  the  people  was  great, 
and  they  paid  large  sums,  without 
complaint,  for  her  services ;  and 
it  Avas  the  loss  of  this  gain  that 
maddened  her  owners  against  the 
apostles. 


330  THE  ACTS  [Chap. 

much  gain  by  soothsaying :    the  same  followed  Paul  and  us,  and  17 
cried,  saying.  These  men  are  the  servants  of  the  most  high  God, 
which  show  unto  us  the  way  of  salvation.     And  this  did  she  18 
many  days.     But  Paul,  being  grieved,  turned  and   said  to  the 
spirit,  I  command  thee  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  to  come  out 

of  her.     And  he  came  out  the  same  hour. And  when  her  19 

masters  saw  that  the  hope  of  their  gains  was  gone,  they  caught 
Paul  and  Silas,  and  drew  them  into  the  market-place  unto  the 


17.  These  men  are  the  servants^  ^t. 
She  had  heard  them  preach,  and 
knew  their  claims,  and  it  was  per- 
fectly in  character  with  a  wandering 
mind,  to  repeat  over  and  over  again 
the  principal  strain  and  burden  of 
their  mission,  "  that  they  were  the 
messengers  of  God,  and  had  come  to 
point  out  the  way  of  salvation  to  the 
people."  This  trait  of  tlie  insane  is 
often  seen  in  every  age.  They  seize 
tlie  current  news,  and  give  it  pub- 
licity, or  boldly  assert  something 
which  the  prudence  of  the  sane  would 
shrink  from  uttering.  See  note  on 
Mat.  viii.  29.  While,  on  the  other 
hand,  as  remarked  by  Farmer,  "  the 
honorable  testimony  she  bore  to  Paul 
could  not  be  the  effect  of  the  spirit  of 
Python  or  Apollo,  because  it  tended 
to  disparage  himself  and  the  whole 
tribe  of  heathen  deities.  If  you  say 
it  was  the  devil  Avho  bore  this  testi- 
mony to  Paul,  you  will  find  it  more 
difficult  still  to  account  for  this  zeal 
for  truth  in  the  father  of  lies ;  be- 
cause this  testimony,  as  it  would 
appear  to  proceed  from  one  of  tJieir 
own  gods,  would  have  great  weight 
with  the  Gentiles.  Nor  was  any 
evil  spirit  constrained  to  bear  tliis 
testimony  to  Paul;  for  the  apostle 
was  grieved  at  it,  and,  in  order  to  put 
a  stop  to  it,  cured  her  disorder." 

18.  This  did  she  many  days.  Here 
was  another  decided  indication  of 
insanity.  She  was  possessed  with 
what  is  technically  called  "  a  fixed 
idea,"  which  led  her  to  follow  them 
from  day  to  day,  and   reiterate   the 


same  expression.  The  insane  often 
pursue  one  object  without  its  being 
possible  to  divert  their  minds  from  it 
—  Being  giieved,  i.  e.  because  he 
saw  her  sad  state,  and  the  miserable 
tool  she  was  made  by  the  craft  of  her 
owners,  to  dupe  the  credulous  and 
superstitious.  —  To  come  out  of  her. 
The  apostle  speaks  to  her  in  her  ex- 
isting state  of  mind,  and,  in  order  to 
confirm  the  cure  which  was  miracu- 
lously wrought,  he  exorcises  the  sup- 
posed spirit  of  divination.  The  same 
method  was  pursued  by  Christ  him- 
self. See  note  on  Mat.  viii.  32. — 
He  came  oid,  S^c.  By  which  figura- 
tive expression,  the  departure  of  the 
disease  is  described.  Paul  restored 
her  to  her  right  mind,  and  she  ceased 
to  follow  them  with  her  maniacal 
cries.  The  superstition  was  very 
prevalent  in  the  heathen  world,  that 
insanity  was  not  a  lower,  but  a  high- 
er, state  of  the  human  faculties ;  and 
deference  was  paid  to  the  deranged, 
as  if  they  were  in  correspondence 
with  the  gods,  and  knew  more  of  tlie 
future,  and  the  destinies  of  men,  tlian 
ordinary  mortals.  Such  was  the  ig- 
norance and  Avant  of  science  among 
the  great  mass  of  men,  that  they 
could  be  easily  imposed  upon  by  these 
pretended  diviners  and  soothsayers. 
When,  accordingly,  Paul  restored 
the  girl  to  her  right  reason,  the  spell 
was  broken,  and  her  masters  could 
no  long'er  use  her  as  an  instrument 
for  making  money. 

19,  20.    The  hope   of  their  gains 
ivas  gone.     As  observed  by  critics. 


XVI.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


231 


20  rulers,  and  brought  them  to  the  magistrates,  saying,  These  men, 

21  being  Jews,  do  exceedingly  trouble  our  city,  and  teach  customs 
which  are  not  lawful  for  us  to  receive,  neither  to  observe,  being 

22  Romans.     And  the  multitude  rose  up  together   against  them : 
and  the  magistrates  rent  off  their  clothes,  and  commanded  to 


there  is  a  paronomasia,  or  play  upon 
words,  in  the  original,  which  is  lost 
in  our  version,  for  the  same  verb  is 
here  used  as  that  in  the  preceding 
verse,  which  describes  the  departure 
of  the  disease ;  when  her  insanity 
came  out,  or  departed,  the  hope  of  her 
masters'  gains  departed  likewise. — 
Caught  Paul  and  Sila^,  i.  e.  laid  vio- 
lent hands  on  them  as  criminals. — 
The  market-place.  Or,  forum,  where 
not  only  merchandise  was  exposed 
for  sale,  but  public  assemblies  and 
trials  were  held.  —  The  rulers.  Or, 
civil  magistrates,  who,  in  Roman 
colonies,  were  called  duumviri,  or 
prcdors.  —  To  the  magistrates.  The 
same  officers,  according  to  Rosen- 
muller,  Kuinoel,  Bloomfield,  and  oth- 
ers, as  those  called  rulers  above  — 
the  latter  being  a  general,  the  former 
a  specific,  term.  —  Being  Jews.  This 
was  artfully  tPirown  in  to  excite  an 
odium  against  the  apostles;  for  the 
Jews  were  universally  held  in  disre- 
pute throughout  the  Roman  world, 
and  though  tolerated  in  their  reli- 
gion, were  subjected  to  many  civil 
disabilities,  —  Do  exceedingly  trouble 
our  city.  They  professed  great  anx- 
iety for  the  welfare  of  the  commu- 
nity, though  the  secret  spring  of  their 
hostility  was  the  loss  of  their  gains. 
Chap.  xix.  24-27.  "The  love  of 
money  is  the  root  of  all  evil;"  and 
scarcely  can  a  Christian  reforma- 
tion of  the  corrupt  habits  and  in- 
stitutions of  society  proceed,  in  any 
age,  a  single  step,  without  coming 
in  conflict  with  this  mighty  motive 
of  human  conduct  The  progress 
of  temperance,  human  freedom, 
honesty,  purity,  and  every  other 
good  cause,  by  which  Christianity  is 


brought  into  practical  operation,  and 
domesticated,  so  to  speak,  among  the 
homes  and  business  of  men,  encoun- 
ters no  foe  more  formidable,  univer- 
sal, or  obstinate,  than  the  love  of  gain, 
however  unrighteously  acquired. 

21.  Customs  which  are  not  law/id, 
^c.  Referring  to  the  doctrines,  re- 
ligious services,  and  worship,  incul- 
cated by  the  apostles,  at  which 
these  men  professed  to  be  very  much 
alanned,  as  trespassing  both  upon  law 
and  order.  Ver.  20.  The  Romans 
tolerated  other  religions,  where  they 
did  not  interfere  with  their  own ;  but 
it  was  an  ancient  law,  that  the  peo- 
ple should  "neither  worship  new 
gods,  nor  the  gods  of  other  countries, 
but  those  of  their  own."  Servius 
says,  that  "care  was  taken,  both 
among  the  Athenians  and  the  Ro- 
mans, that  no  one  should  introduce 
new  religions ;  on  which  account  Soc- 
rates was  condemned,  and  the  Chal- 
deans, or  Jews,  driven  from  Rome." 
Cicero  states  the  law,  that  "  no  per- 
son shall  have  any  separate  gods, 
or  new  ones,  nor  shall  he  privately 
worship  any  strange  gods,  unless 
they  be  publicly  allowed."  Ter- 
tullian  also  mentions  "  a  decree, 
that  no  god  should  be  consecrated, 
unless  approved  by  the  senate."  The 
adroitness  of  "  the  masters  "  in  crim- 
inating the  preachers  of  the  gospel 
with  teaching  a  new  religion,  is  now 
apparent ;  for  they  ostensibly  exhib 
ited  them  in  plain  opposition  to  the 
law  of  the  empire,  and  enlisted  pub- 
lic sentiment  against  them  on  that 
behalf.  —  Being  Romans.  As  by 
way  of  contrast  with  Paul  and  Silas, 
who  were  Jews.     Ver.  20. 

22.  Rent  off  their  clothes.    Caused 


233 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


beat  them.     And  when  they  had  laid  many  stripes  upon  them,  !23 
they  cast  them   into  prison,   charging  the  jailer   to  keep  them 
safely.     Who,  having  received  such  a  charge,  thrust  them  into  24;j 

the  inner  prison,  and  made  their  feet  fast  in  the  stocks. And  24^| 

at  midnight  Paul  and  Silas  prayed,  and  sang  praises  unto  God : 
and  the  prisoners  heard  them.     And  suddenly  there  was  a  great  Sfi-I 
earthquake,  so  that  the  foundations  of  the  prison  were  shaken  : 
and   immediately  all   the  doors   were   opened,    and  every   one's 


tlie  clothes  of  the  apostles  to  be  rent 
off,  or  actually  stripped  them  off 
themselves  in  a  paroxysm  of  anger. 
It  was  customary,  both  among  the 
Jews  and  Romans,  for  persons  who 
were  beaten  to  have  their  clothes 
violently  torn  off,  without  any  regard 
to  their  preservation.  —  To  heat  them. 
The  original  is,  "  to  beat  with  rods." 
The  subordinate  officers  that  inflicted 
tliis  punishment  were  called  lictors, 
who  were  kept  constantly  in  attend- 
ance by  Roman  magistrates.  2  Cor. 
xi.  23,  25. 

23,  24.  Had  laid  many  stripes  up- 
on them.  The  Jews  are  accustomed 
to  inflict  only  thirty-nine  stripes,  but 
the  Romans  were  not  limited  by  any 
humane  restriction.  Paul,  perhaps, 
refers  to  this  occasion  in  2  Cor.  xi. 
23,  where  he  speaks  of  himself  "  in 
stripes  above  measure."  Their  pun- 
ishment, thus  far,  was  illegal,  as  no 
examination  or  trial  had  been  held. 
—  To  keep  them  safely.  As  prison- 
ers of  consequence,  who,  they  were 
aAvare,  perhaps,  might  escape  by 
means  of  their  superhuman  power. 
Chap.  xii.  7-11. —  Into  the  inner 
prison.  For  the  sake  of  greater  se- 
curity. —  Made  their  feet  fast  in  the 
stocks.  This  was  a  wooden  machine 
for  confinino'  prisoners  in  uneasy  and 
painful  positions;  which  contained 
openings  for  the  feet,  and  sometimes, 
also,  for  the  arms  and  neck.  After  be- 
ing severely  beaten,  and  their  wounds 
remaining  undressed,  ver.  33,  this 
close  and  painful  confinement  M'ould 
be  doubly  agonizing.    1  Thes.  ii.  2. 


25.  Jlt  midnight.     On  account 
their  great  sufferings  of  body,  thej 
were   probably   unable,   like    Petei 
chap.  xii.  6,  to  sleep ;  but  remained 
awake,  and  passed  the  weary  hours  ii 
supplications  and  songs  to  Heaven.^ 
—  The  prisoners  heard  them.      TM 
sounds   were   so  unusual    in  tho6 
gloomy  abodes,   that  they   arrestee 
the  attention  of  the  prisoners.     Eve 
ry  statement  in  this  verse  conveys 
new  and  individual  impression, 
was  at  midnight,  when  the  rest  of  th^ 
world  were  sleeping,  that  Paul  an< 
Silas,  with  wounds  still  bleeding,  anc 
limbs  painfully  confined,  so  far  froi 
indulging  in  complaints,  pray  to  Got 
for  strength  to  support  them  unde 
their  trials,  and  sing  songs  of  praise! 
that  they  were  accounted  worthy 
suffer  in  so  glorious  a  cause.     Ani-J 
mated  by  the  joyful  and  inspiring  na-j 
ture  of  the  religion  for  which  theyi 
endured  so  much,  thpy  lifted  up  thei 
voices  on   high  until  the  prison  re-j 
sounded  with  their  "  hymns  of  lofty^ 
cheer,"  and  the  poor  victims  of  sin  ; 
and  suffering,  incarcerated  with  them, 
heard  the  glad  strains,  and  thrilled 
with  emotion  at  such  new  and  strange 
harmony  w  ithin  walls  echoing  only 
to  groans  and  sighs.      "  The  dark- 
ness,   the    stillness,  the    loneliness, 
all  give  sublimity  to  the  scene,  and 
teach  us  how  invaluable  is  the  priv- 
ilege of  access  to  the  throne  of  mer- 
cy, in  this  suffering  world." 

26.  ./3  p-eat  earthquake.  A  mani- 
festation of  the  divine  pow-er  and  aid 
often  vouchsafed  before.    Chap,  iv 


XVI.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


233 


27  bands  were  loosed.  And  the  keeper  of  the  prison  awaking  out 
of  his  sleep,  and  seeing  the  prison  doors  open,  he  drew  out  his 
sword,  and  would  have  killed  himself,  supposing  that  the  pris- 

23  oners  had  been  fled.     But  Paul  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  saying, 

29  Do  thyself  no  harm :  for  we  are  all  here.  Then  he  called  for  a 
light,  and  sprang  in,  and  came  trembling,  and  fell  down  before 

30  Paul  and  Silas ;  and  brought  them  out,  and  said,  Sirs,  what  must 


31,  V.  19,  xii.  6,  7.  — All  the  doors  — 
every  one's  hands,  ^c.  All  the  pris- 
oners, apparently,  were  set  at  liberty. 
These  effects  could  scarcely  have 
been  produced  by  a  mere  natural 
earthquake. 

27-29.  fVould  have  killed  himself. 
He  was  held  responsible  for  the  safe- 
keeping of  his  charge ;  and,  seeing 
his  prison-doors  thrown  open  by  the 
earthquake,  which  awoke  him  out  of 
sleep,  he  instantly  infeiTed  their  es- 
cape, and  that  his  own  life  was  for- 
feited. Chap.  xii.  19.  He  was 
prompted  by  terror  at  once  to  kill 
himself,  by  falling  on  the  point  of 
his  sword.  Of  course  he  would  not 
have  thought  of  perpetrating  such  an 
act,  so  suddenly,  unless  previously 
educated  in  the  maxims  of  that  day, 
by  Avhich  it  was  accounted  right  to 
commit  suicide.  Thus  Cato  perished 
at  Utica ;  and  thus,  in  this  very  place 
of  Philippi,  Brutus  and  Cassius,  af- 
ter their  defeat  by  Antony  and  Au- 
gustus, fell  on  their  swords,  together 
with  numbers  of  their  friends.  What 
a  contrast  between  the  spirit  of  hea- 
thenism and  the  spirit  of  Christianity  ! 
—  between  the  jailer,  about  to  tlirow 
his  life  away  rashly  and  needlessly, 
and  the  apostles,  who  attached  a  true 
value  to  existence  as  the  gift  of  God, 
and  bore  the  rods  of  the  lictor,  tlie 
gloom  of  tlie  dungeon,  and  the  dis- 
tress of  the  stocks,  with  unterrified, 
even  with  prayerful  and  jubilant,  spir- 
its ;  and,  tliough  danger  and  death 
are  before  them. 

Yet  argue  not 


Against  Heaven's  hand  or  will,  nor  bate  a  iot 

20* 


Of  heart  or  hope  ;  but  still  bear  up,  and  steer 
Right  onward.'" 


—  Do  thyself  no  harm.  Commit  not 
evil  against  thyself;  lay  no  hand  of 
death  on  thine  own  body.  The 
precept,  though  specially  designed 
against  self-murder,  is  of  wide  ap- 
plication ;  for  there  are  many  modes 
of  suicide,  some  quicker  and  others 
slower.  We  ought  to  indulge  in  no 
habit,  or  practice,  which  mars  tlie 
wondrous  constitution  of  body  and 
soul,  that  combined  masterpiece  of 
the  creation,  that  link  between  two 
worlds,  "  half  dust,  half  deity."  Ex- 
cesses of  mind  and  body,  violations 
of  tlie  natural  laws,  whatever  leads 
to  sickness  or  to  sin,  comes  under  the 
apostolic  prohibition.  —  Trembling, 
and  fell  down,  8fc.  He  prostrated 
himself  before  those  whom,  but  a 
short  time  previous,  he  had  loaded 
with  every  indignity  and  cruelty. 

30.  Brought  them  out.  From  the 
inner  prison,  into  which  they  had  been 
thrust  at  first.  Ver.  24.  —  Sirs.  A 
title  of  respect  —  Jfhat  must  I  do  to 
be  saved"?  There  are  two  tJieories 
of  expounding  this  question;  one, 
that  he  inquires  respecting  his  pres- 
ent safety ;  the  other,  that  he  asks 
the  way  of  eternal  salvation.  But 
if  we  will  consider  that  the  jailer  was 
a  heathen,  —  that  he  was  in  great 
temporal  fear  and  agitation,  —  that 
tlie  earthquake  had  convinced  him  of 
the  high  and  perhaps  superhuman 
character  of  his  prisoners, —  and  that 
the  rumors  of  their  teaching  the  way 
of  salvation  had  probably  reached 
his  ears  before  this  time,  we  shall 


2m 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


I  do  to  be  saved  ?     And  they  said,  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  31 
Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved,  and  thy  house.     And  they  spake  32 
unto  him  the  word  of  the  Lord,  and  to  all  that  were  in  his  house. 
And  he  took  them  the  same  hour  of  the  night,  and  washed  their  33 
stripes;    and   was   baptized,   he   and  all  his,  straightway.     And  3i 


see  that  his  mind  was,  so  to  say,  not 
in  a  simple,  but  a  complex,  state. 
Various  feelings  and  anxieties  were 
struggling  in  his  breast  for  utterance. 
He  was  full  of  contending  emotions, 
and  he  poured  them  all  out  in  that 
one  bursting  ejaculation,  that  prayer 
for  help,  that  supplication  of  the 
whole  soul :  "  What  shall  I  do  ?  how 
shall  I  be  saved  ?  is  there  any  help 
for  me  ?  "  He  had  reference  to  eter- 
nal salvation,  in  all  likelihood,  but  not 
to  that  alone  ;  he  was  stricken  to  the 
heart  by  all  this  sudden  and  mighty 
manifestation  of  God  —  this  amazing 
miracle,  which  had  shaken  the  prison 
to  the  foundation,  and  bidden  every 
door  fly  open,  and  every  chain  and 
fetter  fall.  He  felt  that  he  had  ex- 
posed himself  to  the  anger  of  some 
high  power  above  him  ;  and  his  ques- 
tion was  the  result  of  all  these  va- 
rious feelings  united  — partly  colored 
by  his  dread  of  the  temporal  penalty 
hanging  over  him,  if  his  prisoners 
escaped,  partly  by  what  he  had  heard 
of  the  apostles'  teaching  the  way  of 
salvation,  and  partly  by  the  tremen- 
dous display  that  rushed  upon  his 
senses,  when  he  awoke  from  sleep, 
of  the  working  of  a  more  than  mor- 
tal hand  upon  every  prison  bolt  and 
bar.  To  identify  the  question  of  this 
dim,  agitated,  frantic,  pagan  mind, 
at  the  hour  of  midnight,  amid  such 
a  scene  of  outward  confusion,  and  a 
moment  before  bent  upon  suicide, 
with  the  inquiry  of  one  at  the  pres- 
ent day,  educated  amid  the  reflected, 
if  not  received,  light  of  the  gospel  re- 
specting his  future  and  eternal  state 
of  blessedness  hereafter,  is  to  con- 
found, in  one,  very  dissimilar  states 
of  mind.     Though  the  question  it- 


self is  the  greatest  one  which  man 
can  ask,  or  God  answer  —  the  ques- 
tion of  questions,  the  grand  prayer 
and  yearning  of  the  immortal  soul. 

31,  32.  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  Or,  in  the  paraphrase  of 
Bloomfield,  "  embrace  the  Christian 
religion,  i.  e.  so  as  to  obey  it,  and 
thou  and  all  thy  family  shall  attain 
salvation."  Faith  in  Christ  is  put  for 
the  reception  of  the  whole  religion 
of  which  he  was  the  Author  and 
Finisher.  Faith  is  the  first  step ;  be- 
cause the  use  of  means,  the  applica- 
tion of  the  truth,  the  seeking  for  aid, 
and  obedience  to  the  Christian  pre- 
cepts, are  all  dependent  upon  confi- 
dence reposed  in  Jesus  as  the  Mes- 
siah, the  Son  of  God,  the  Saviour  of 
the  soul.  And  it  is  the  want  of  faith 
—  a  living,  personal  conviction,  and 
sense  of  trust  in  him  —  Avhich  weak- 
ens men's  hearts,  and  yields  them  up 
as  victims  to  temptation.  Confidence 
in  Jesus  as  a  divine  Guide  and  Help- 
er to  tlie  sinner,  is  the  Alpha  and 
Omega  of  religion.  For,  where  it 
really  exists,  it  can  hardly  fail  to  lead 
to  good  works,  and  every  virtue  and 
grace  ;  since  it  establishes,  as  it  were, 
a  living  chain  of  communication  be- 
tween eartli  and  heaven,  man  and  God, 
the  soul,  and  the  fountain  of  life  and 
light  which  can  fill  and  satisfy  it.  — 
Spake  unto  him  the  word  of  the  Lord, 
i.  e.  discoursed  of  the  doctrine  of  the 
Lord,  and  explained  more  fully  its 
duties  and  promises.  This  he  did, 
not  only  to  the  jailer,  but  pointed  out 
to  his  whole  household  the  way  of 
salvation. 

33,34.  Washed  their  stripes.  "Mer- 
cy before  sacrifice."  He  first  per- 
formed an  act  of  pressing  need  to 


XVI.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


QS5 


when  he  had  brought  them  into  liis  house,  he  set  meat  before 
them,  and  rejoiced,  believing  in  God   with  all  his  house. 

35  And  when  it  was  day,  the  magistrates  sent  the  sergeants,  saying, 

36  Let  those  men  go.  And  the  keeper  of  the  prison  told  this 
saying  to  Paul,  The  magistrates  have  sent  to  let  you  go:  now 

37  therefore  depart,  and  go  in  peace.  But  Paul  said  unto  them, 
They  have  beaten  us  openly  uncondemned,  being  Romans,  and 
have  cast  us  into  prison;  and  now  do  they  thrust  us  out  privily  ? 

38  nay,  verily  ;  but  let  them  come  themselves  and  fetch  us  out.    And 


the  wounded  apostles,  whose  stripes 
had  been  neglected  before,  and  he 
was  afterwards  baptized.  How  dif- 
ferently he  looked  upon  those  bleed- 
ing wounds,  when  his  spiritual  eye 
was  opened,  and  he  saw  that  they 
were  the  wounds  of  brethren,  and 
when,  before,  he  deemed  Paul  and 
Silas  as  mere  seditious  Jews,  who 
deserved  no  better  fate.  —  Was  bap- 
tized, he  and  all  his,  straightway.  See 
remarks  on  ver.  1.5.  The  rite  was 
performed  immediately,  and,  in  all 
probability,  by  sprinkling  or  affusion, 
not  by  immersion;  for  there  were 
but  few  accommodations  for  the  lat- 
ter in  a  prison  or  its  purlieus. — 
Brought  them  into  his  house.  From 
the  prison.  —  ^nd  rejoiced.  The  nat- 
ural rebound  of  his  feelings,  after 
such  fear  and  remorse,  was  joy.  Re- 
ligion is  happiness. 

35,  36.  The  sergeants.  The  in- 
ferior officers  in  attendance,  who 
carried  rods  and  an  axe,  and  were 
called  lictors.  The  earthquake  and 
the  transactions  of  the  night  had  not 
been  in  vain  in  their  er'ects  upon 
the  rulers  of  Philippi.  —  Depart,  and 
go  in  peace.  They  probably  sup- 
posed that  the  apostles  would  gladly 
seize  tlie  opportunity  and  depart,  but 
they  mistook  the  spirit  of  the  men 
and  their  cause. 

37.  Beaten  us,  Sfc.  Every  cir- 
cumstance of  aggravation  is  intro- 
duced, to  slio-.v  the  subject  in  its  tr.ie 
light.  Tliev  had  beenbeiten,  beaten 
opeuly,  w^thuut  hiving  been   tried 


or  condemned,  which  was  a  viola- 
tion of  general  law ;  and  all  this, 
though  they  were  Romans  —  Paul, 
at  least,  being  free-born;  while,  to 
cap  the  whole,  they  had  been  thrust 
into  prison  and  bound  in  the  stocks. 
These  things  were  a  flat  violation  of 
the  Valerian  law,  which  forbade  a 
Roman  citizen  being  bound,  —  and 
of  the  Sempronian  or  Porcian  law, 
which  exempted  him  from  being 
punished  with  rods.  For  to  say,  "  I 
am  a  Roman  citizen,"  was  a  bulwark 
of  defence  in  every  part  of  the  earth. 
Here  was  a  complication  of  injustice, 
a  tissue  of  mal-administration,  not 
to  be  winked  out  of  sight  —  Thrust 
us  out  privily^  They  were  mean 
as  well  as  cruel.  They  had  not  only 
proceeded  in  this  high-handed  man- 
ner, but,  when  they  saw  their  error, 
they  wished  to  cover  it  up,  and  let 
it  pass  quietly  by,  instead  of  frankly 
confessing  the  wrong,  and  yielding 
reparation,  or  at  least  asking  pardon 
for  their  misconduct.  But  Paul  stood 
upon  his  rights,  and  demanded  a  sat- 
isfactory acknowledgment,  which  he 
finally  obtained.  The  high-toned 
spirit  which  he  exhibited  was  not  in- 
consistent with  the  meekness  and  hu- 
mility of  the  Christian  character,  and 
would  command,  more  likely,  the  re- 
spect of  the  people  for  the  remaining 
brethren  of  the  church. 

38, 39.  They  feared,  &fc.  They 
knew  how  flagrant  was  the  offence 
against  the  majesty  of  Rome,  to  beat 
and  imprison  her  citizens  without  a 


236 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


the  sergeants  told  these  words  unto  the  magistrates:   and  they 
feared  when  they  heard  that  they  were  Romans.     And  they  came  39 
and  besought  them,  and  brought  them  out,  and  desired  them  to 
depart  out  of  the  city.     And  they  went  out  of  the  prison,  and  40 
entered  into  the  house  of  Lydia  :    and  when  they  had  seen  the 
brethren,  they  comforted  them,  and  departed. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

The  Persecution  of  Paul  in  Macedonia,  and  his  Discourse  at  Athens. 
IN  OW  when  they  had  passed  through  Amphipolis,  and  Apollo- 
nia,  they  came  to  Thessalonica,  where  was  a  synagogue  of  the 


hearing.  They  trembled  for  the  con- 
sequences, and  came  and  Immbled 
themselves  before  those  very  men 
whom,  a  short  time  previous,  they 
had  mangled,  and  insulted  with  wan- 
ton cruelty.  Such  are  some  of  the 
wonderful  contrasts  of  this  remark- 
able history.  —  Came  —  besought  — 
brought  —  and  desired.  A  redupli- 
cation of  terms,  to  describe  the  great 
pains  and  earnest  entreaty  of  the 
magistrates,  that  the  apostles  Avould 
go  from  the  prison  and  the  city  peace- 
fully, and  overlook  tlie  injustice  of 
their  conduct. 

40.  House  of  Lydia.  See  ver.  15. 
—  Comforted  tkem,  i.  e.  in  view  of 
the  dangers  and  tribulations  around 
them;  which,  however,  the  inter- 
posing mercy  of  God  would  scatter, 
as  he  had  dissipated  the  black  cloud 
which  lately  threatened  their  entire 
destruction  —  but  which,  as  it  was 
now  passed,  they  saw  spanned  with 
the  bow  of  promise,  and  radiant  with 
immortal  beauty  and  hope. 

There  are  many  things  in  this 
chapter  worthy  of  serious  study  and 
personal  application;  for  here  are 
true  sketches  of  human  nature,  on 
one  side,  and  the  shining  of  the 
blessed  truths  of  the  gospel,  on  tlie 
other.  But  there  is  one  point  that 
should  be  singled  out,  and  deeply 
pondered,  for  it  is  the  essential  of 


Christianity.  "  Believe  on  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ"  Ver.  31.  This  is 
a  subject  for  a  sermon,  for  a  vol- 
ume. How  simple  this  early  faith, 
yet  how  sufficient !  Perish  creeds, 
perish  confessions  of  faith,  and  let 
the  church  universal  fear  not  to  cast 
herself  on  this  Rock  of  Ages,  this 
primitive  foundation  !  This  was  the 
adequate  creed  of  Peter,  of  Martha, 
of  the  lame  man,  of  the  eunuch,  of 
Lydia,  and  of  the  jailer.  It  can  fill 
our  souls,  as  it  filled  and  satisfied 
theirs.  Then  would  peace  descend 
and  dwell  among  the  churches  of 
God,  and  there  would  be  "  one  body, 
and  one  spirit ;  one  Lord,  one  faith, 
one  baptism,  one  God  and  Father  of 
all,  Aviio  is  above  all,  and  through 
all,  and  in  you  all." 

CHAPTER  XVIL 

1.  J]mphipolis.  This  was  the 
chief  town  in  the  southern  region  of 
Macedonia,  and  was  situated  on  the 
River  Strymon,  at  no  great  distance 
from  its  entrance  into  the  iEgean 
Sea.  It  derived  its  name,  Avhich  sig- 
nifies around  the  city,  from  the  cir- 
cumstance of  the  river  flowing  around 
it,  and  forming  a  peninsula,  or,  as 
others  say,  an  island.  It  was,  ori- 
ginally, a  colony  of  the  Athenians, 
and  occasioned  many  difficulties  be- 
tween that  nation  and  the  Spartans. 


XVII.] 


OF  Tin:  APOSTLES. 


S37 


2  Jews.     And  Paul,  as  his  manner  was,  went  in  unto  them,  and 
three   Sabbath  days  reasoned  with  them  out  of  the  Scriptures, 

3  opening  and  alleging,  that  Christ,  must  needs  have  suffered,  and 
risen  again  from  the  dead ;    and  that  this  Jesus,  whom  I  preach 

4  unto  you,  is  Christ.     And  some  of  them  believed,  and  consorted 
with  Paul  and  Silas  :  and  of  the  devout  Greeks  a  great  multitude, 

5  and  of  the  chief  women  not  a  few. But  the  Jews  which 

believed  not,  moved  with  envy,  took  unto  them  certain  lewd 
fellows  of  the  baser  sort,  and  gathered  a  company,  and  set  all  the 
city  on  an  uproar,  and  assaulted  the  house  of  Jason,  and  sought 


In  the  middle  ages  it  was  styled 
Chrysopolis^  or  the  golden  city.  A 
town  still  exists  upon  the  ancient 
site,  under  the  name  of  Empoli, 
or  Yamholi. — Apollonia.  This  city 
was  also  on  the  route  from  Philippi 
to  Thessalonica,  It  was  a  colony 
formed  by  the  Corinthians,  and  a 
place  of  considerable  trade.  —  Thes- 
salonica. This  was  the  capital  of 
the  second  district,  under  the  four- 
fold division  of  Macedonia  by  the 
Romans,  and  was  the  principal  place 
of  the  whole  country,  as  it  was  the 
residence  of  the  Roman  governor,  or 
proconsul.  It  lay  about  20  miles 
south-Avest  of  Philippi,  at  the  head 
of  the  Thermaic  Gulf,  which  extends 
up  from  the  iEgean  Sea,  and  was  an- 
ciently called  T%erm«,  but  changed 
its  name  either  in  honor  of  Thessa- 
lonica, the  daughter  of  Philip,  or  on 
account  of  the  victory  over  the  Thes- 
s.dians  by  that  king.  Two  of  the 
epistles  of  Paul  were  directed  to  the 
church  founded  there.  Its  present 
name  is  Saloniki.  —  Jl  synagogue. 
Literally,  the  synagogue,  i.  e.  accord- 
ing to  Winer,  the  only  synagogue 
of  tlie  place,  or,  as  others  contend,  of 
that  region. 

2,  3.  ^s  his  manner  loas.  Luke 
iv.  16.  Both  Jesus  and  his  apostles 
preached  the  gospel  in  the  Jewish 
synagogues.  Acts  ix.  20,  xiii.  5, 
14.  —  Reasoned.  Discoursed.  —  The 
Scriptures,  i.  e.   the  Hebrew  Scrip- 


tures.—  Opening.  Or,  explaining, 
unfolding.  —  Suffered.  It  was  pre- 
dicted that  the  Messiah  would  be  a 
sufferer,  as  well  as  conqueror,  Luke 
xxiv.  27,  45,  though  the  crucifixion 
of  our  Lord  was  then,  as  it  is  now, 
a  great  stumbling-block  in  the  way  of 
the  Jews  believing  in  him.  —  Christ, 
should  be,  the  Christ. 

4,  5.  Consorted  with  Paid  and  Si- 
las. Or,  became  their  adherents. 
Luke  and  Timothy  had  probably  re- 
mained behind  at  Philippi,  for  the 
first  person,  indicating  the  presence 
of  Luke  in  the  company  of  Paul,  oc- 
curs not  again  until  chap.  xx.  5.  — 
Devout  Greeks,  i.  e.  heathen  partly 
Judaized,  though  not  perhaps  prose- 
lytes in  full ;  and  also,  as  is  likely, 
those  who  were  idolaters.  1  Thes. 
i.  9.  —  Chief  ivomen.  Or,  women  of 
rank.  —  Moved  with  envy.  At  the 
success  of  the  apostles.  This  vice 
has  been  ever  a  great  obstacle  to  the 
progress  of  truth  and  righteousness. 
It  excited  the  Jews  to  crucify  the 
Master,  and  it  hunted  the  apostles  to 
prison  and  to  death.  Mat.  xxvii.  18  ; 
Acts  xiii.  45.  —  Lewd  fellows  of  the 
baser  sort.  Rather,  "wicked  or  vile 
men  of  those  frequenting  the  mar- 
ket," by  which  are  meant  the  Idlers 
or  loungers  in  the  public  places  of 
the  city ;  the  rabble.  The  Jews  were 
willing  to  descend  to  any  instruments, 
however  mean  and  contemptible,  to 
effect  their  bad    purpose.  —  Jason. 


238 


TJIE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


to  bring  them  out  to  the  people.     And  when  they  found  them  6 
not,  they  drew  Jason  and  certain  brethren  unto  the  rulers  of  the 
city,  crying,  These  that  have  turned  the  world  upside  down,  are 
come  hither  also ;  whom  Jason  hath  received :   and  these  all  do  7 
contrary  to  the  decrees  of  Cesar,  saying,  that  there  is  another 
king,  one  Jesus.     And  they  troubled  the  people,  and  the  rulers  8 
of  the  city,  when  they  heard  these  things.     And  when  they  had  9 

taken  security  of  Jason  and  of  the  other,  they  let  them  go. 

And  the  brethren  immediately  sent  away  Paul  and  Silas  by  night  10 
unto  Berea :  who  coming  thither^  went  into  the  synagogue  of  the 


Who  was  a  kinsman  of  Paul,  Rom. 
xvi.  21,  and  entertained  him  and  his 
company  at  his  own  house.  —  To 
the.  people,  i.  e.  to  a  popular  assembly, 
which  should  pronounce  upon  their 
alleged  crime. 

6.  Found  them  not  As  they  had 
probably  learnt  their  danger,  and  fled 
to  a  place  of  security.  —  That  have 
turned  the  world  upside  doiun.  Chap, 
xvi.  20.  The  turmoil  at  Philippi, 
produced  by  the  opposition  of  the 
Jews  to  the  preaching  of  the  gospel, 
had  been  reported  at  Thessalonica, 
Thus  the  charge  of  agitation  and 
disturbance  was  then,  as  it  is  now, 
laid  at  the  door  of  those  who  seek  to 
promote  the  cause  of  reformation  and 
righteousness,  though  it  belongs  in 
reality  to  those  who  cling  to  old  errors, 
corrupt  institutions  and  customs,  and 
forswear  improvement.  As  has  been 
truly  and  keenly  said  by  Pierpont, 
«  To  bring  peace,  Christ  knew  that 
he  must  first  bring  'division'  and 
a  *  sword.'  His  first  apostles  were 
charged  with  '  turning  the  world 
upside  down.'  They  meant  to  do 
so ;  for  they  found  the  world  wrong- 
side  up.  To  a  great  extent,  it  is  so 
still;  for  the  work  of  the  apostles, 
of  Jesus,  and  of  his  gospel,  is  not 
yet  finished." 

7.  Hath  received;  i.  e.  entertained 
as  guests.  —  To  the  decrees  of  Cesar. 
It  was  the  law  of  Rome,  botli  under 
the  republican  and  the  imperial  gov- 


ernment, that  no  one  should  be  styled 
king  in  any  of  the  subject  provinces, 
except  by  express  permission.  Clau- 
dius Cesar  sat  at  this  time  on  the 
throne.  —  Thai  there  is  another  king, 
one  Jesv^.  Or,  better,  as  in  the  origi- 
nal, simply,  "  Jesus."  The  apostles 
were  charged  with  high  treason 
against  the  crown.  The  artfulness 
with  which  the  Jews  alleged  this 
crime,  resembled  the  crimination  of 
the  Saviour  himself.  Luke  xxiii.  2. 
They  do  not  assign  any  violation 
of  religion,  but  feign  a  political  of- 
fence, to  which  the  Gentile  magis- 
trates would,  of  course,  be  more  sen- 
sitive. The  only  sense  in  which 
Paul  pressed  the  claims  of  Jesus 
as  a  king  was  a  figurative  one,  but 
capable  of  being  perverted  by  the 
malice  of  his  enemies.  Christ  was 
a  king,  but  "his  kingdom  was  not 
of  this  world."     John  xviii.  36. 

8-10.  Troubled  the  people,  and 
the  rulers.  They  were  alarmed  at 
such  a  charge,  as  ominous  of  civil 
revolution  and  ruin  to  their  city  ;  for 
Rome  was  jealous  of  her  power,  and 
terrible  in  her  vengeance.  —  Had 
taken  security.  Or,  as  we  should 
say,  had  admitted  them  to  bail,  or 
put  them  under  bonds  to  keep  the 
peace,  or  to  be  responsible  for  the 
conduct  of  Paul  and  Silas.  —  The 
other.  It  should  not  be  singular,  but 
plural,  "  the  others."  Ver.  6.  —  Be- 
rea.   This  town  was  35  or  40  miles 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


239 


XVII.] 

11  Jews.  These  were  more  noble  than  those  in  Thessalonica,  in 
that  they  received  the  word  with  all  readiness  of  mind,  and 
searched  the  Scriptures   daily,   whether  those  things   were  so. 

12  Therefore   many  of  them  believed ;    also  of  honorable   women 


west  of  Thessalonica,  on  the  River 
Astrceus,  near  Mount  Bermius,  and 
about  30  miles  from  Pella,  the  birth- 
place of  Alexander  the  Great,  B.  C. 
355.  It  afterwards  went  under  the 
name  of  Irenopolis,  and  is  now  called, 
by  the  Turks,  from  its  old  designa- 
tion, Boor,  but  by  others,  Carta  Vena. 
—  Synascogue.     See  note  on  ver.  2. 

11.  jyiore  noble.  The  primary 
sense  of  the  words  is, "  better  born," 
or, "  of  a  higher  rank,"  but  here,  met- 
aphorically, "of  a  nobler,  more  in- 
genuous disposition."  Candor,  dili- 
gence in  seeking  after  truth,  superi- 
ority to  old,  but  ill-founded  preju- 
dices, are  indeed  noble  traits,  though 
they  are  seldom  estimated  accord- 
ing to  their  just  and  high  value.  — 
Searched  the  Scriptures  daily.  Their 
nobleness  of  mind  was  evinced  by 
their  openness  in  receiving  the  truth, 
and  the  care  they  took  to  investi<jate 
the  subject  by  the  standard,  not  of 
human  opinions,  but  of  the  Scrip- 
tures. They  were  willing  to  take 
some  pains  to  search  and  investigate, 
and  not  condemn  the  apostles  un- 
heard. Such  an  example  should 
challenge  the  admiration  and  imita- 
tion of  the  world.  Its  value  is  in- 
estimable. For  it  ought  to  be  known 
and  felt,  that  not  the  scoffer,  nor 
skeptic,  but  the  inquirer  and  the  be- 
liever, pursue  the  really  noble  and 
magnanimous  course.  If  men  scoin 
and  rail  at  religion,  it  is  because 
they  do  not  know  what  it  is ;  they 
have  mistaken  some  poor  human  car- 
icature for  the  matciiless  and  glow- 
ing original.  They  have  drank  from 
the  muddy  streams,  not  at  the  crys- 
tal fountain.  They  have  studied 
creeds,  not  the  Bible.  It  is  a  most 
melancholy,  but  instructive,  fact,  that 


several  of  the  chiefs  of  infidelity  have 
confessed  that  they  had  not  even  read 
the  whole  of  that  sacred  book,  upon 
which  they  poured  out  their  ven- 
omous abuse !  There  is  emphasis, 
too,  in  the  word  daily.  The  Bere- 
ans  did  not  pursue  their  biblical 
studies  with  such  long  intervals  in- 
tervening as  to  lose  the  thread  of 
interest  and  thought,  but  daily  re- 
sumed the  blessed  task.  We  know 
that  the  mariner  daily  takes  his  reck- 
oning on  the  bosom  of  the  mighty 
ocean,  to  descry  which  way  its  winds 
and  waves  are  bearing  his  frail  bark ; 
and  that  the  traveller  daily  consults 
his  guide-book,  to  ascertain  his  way, 
and  steer  to  his  destination.  The 
Bible  is  our  guide-book,  our  practi- 
cal navigator  on  the  infinite  voyage, 
in  the  heaven-bound  journey.  O, 
mortal  —  poor,  weak,  sinning  child 
of  earth  —  often  turn  to  its  celestial 
guidance,  daily  consult  its  earnest, 
affectionate  counsels !  Let  the  an- 
gel of  its  twofold  covenant  wrestle, 
morning  and  evening,  with  your  soul, 
and  not  depart  without  leaving  his 
blessing  behind. 

12.  Therefore  many  of  tJiem  be- 
lieved, ^-c.  The  natural  consequence 
of  so  much  candor  and  faithful  in- 
quiry. The  Bible  only  needs  to  be 
known,  to  be  believed  ;  religion  only 
asks  to  be  tried,  to  be  loved  and 
obeyed.  —  Honorable  women.  Unlike 
the  women  of  rank  and  extensive  in- 
fluence in  Antioch,  in  Pisidia,  chap, 
xiii.  50,  the  Bereans  espoused  the 
truly  noble  and  honorable  part  The 
power  which  wealthy,  cultivated  wo- 
men, of  high  station  in  society,  are 
capable  of  exerting,  is  immense,  and 
it  becomes  them  to  remember  the 
greatness  of  their  responsibility,  and 


^40  THE  ACTS  [Chap. 

which  were  Greeks,  and  of  men  not  a  few.     But  when  the  Jews  13 
of  Thessalonica    had    knowledge    that    the    word    of  God    was 
preached  of  Paul  at  Berea,  they  came  thither  also,  and  stirred 
up  the  people.     And  then  immediately  the  brethren  sent  away  14 
Paul,  to  go  as  it  were  to  the  sea :  but  Silas  and  Timotheus  abode 
there  still.     And  they  that  conducted   Paul   brought  him  unto  15 
Athens:    and  receiving  a  commandment  unto  Silas  and  Timo- 
theus for  to  come  to  him  with  all  speed,  they  departed. 

Now,  while  Paul  waited  for  them  at  Athens,  his  spirit  was  16 
stirred  in  him,  when  he  saw  the  city  wholly  given  to  idolatry. 


the  vast  impetus  they  can  impart  to 
social  and  pliilanthropic  improve- 
ments. 

13,14.  Stirred  up  the  people.  Ex- 
cited a  popular  commotion.  The 
verb  contains  a  figure,  as  it  is  de- 
rived from  a  word  signifying  the 
surge  of  the  sea.  The  evil-minded 
emissaries  from  Thessalonica  had 
aroused  a  tumult  like  a  tempest  upon 
the  sea.  —  To  go  as  it  icere  to  the 
sea.  Or,  correctly  rendered,  to  go 
toward  the  sea.  The  original  does 
not  necessarily  mean  that  any  feint  or 
stratagem  was  used  ;  but  may  simply 
refer,  as  the  usage  of  Greek  writers 
shows,  to  the  direction  he  was  about 
to  take.  The  principal  brunt  of  the 
persecution  was  against  Paul.  Silas 
and  Timothy  are  pennitted  to  remain 
in  peace,  and  water  what  Paul  had 
planted.  The  apostle  naturally  v/ent 
to  the  seaport  nearest  to  Berea,  Pyd- 
na,  which  was  upon  the  Thermaic 
Gulf,  running  up  from  the  ^gean 
Sea;  but  it  is  doubtful  whether  he 
finally  took  his  journey  to  Athens  by 
land  or  by  sea. 

15.  Athens.  The  capital  of  Attica, 
one  of  the  districts  of  Greece,  about 
^50  miles  south-easterly  from  Berea. 
It  W£LS,  originally,  an  Egyptian  colo- 
ny, under  Cecrops,  and  received  its 
name  from  Athena,  the  Greek  name 
of  the  goddess  Minei-va,  its  tutelary 
divinity,  the  ruins  of  whose  beautiful 
temple,    called    tiie    Parthenon,    are 


still  extant.  This  city  was  called 
"  the  eye  of  Greece,  the  inventor 
of  letters,  the  light  of  the  civilized 
world,"  so  brilliant  was  its  career  in 
arts,  arms,  literature,  and  government. 
Its  poets,  orators,  warriors,  philoso- 
phers, and  statesmen,  have  been  the 
praise  and  wonder  of  ages.  The 
city  of  Socrates,  and  Plato,  and  Aris- 
totle, and  Demosthenes,  never  can 
be  forgotten.  The  ruins  of  its  tem- 
ples, and  other  works  of  art,  still  as- 
tonish the  traveller  by  their  beauty 
and  magnificence.  Like  other  cities 
of  the  eastern  world,  it  has  been  the 
sport  of  war,  tyranny,  and  ruin.  But 
it  is  now  the  capital  of  the  new  king- 
dom of  Greece,  under  Otho,  and,  by 
the  genial  influence  of  civilization 
and  Christianity,  it  may  rise  from 
ages  of  barbarism  to  more  tlian  its 
ancient  glory. 

1(1.  His  spirit  was  stirred  in  him. 
His  mind  was  excited  to  mingled 
indignation  and  compassion  at  the 
spectacle  of  so  much  folly  and  super- 
stition. —  Wholly  given  to  idolatry. 
Or,  full  of  idols,  as  in  the  margin. 
With  respect  to  the  historical  fact 
here  stated,  the  voice  of  ancient  wri- 
ters is  unanimous  in  agreeing  with 
the  sacred  record.  Thus  Pausanias 
says,  that  "  it  had  more  images  tlian 
all  the  rest  of  Greece."  Josephus 
remarks,  tliat  "  the  Athenians  are 
tlie  most  pious  of  all  the  Grecians." 
iElian  called  Athens  "the  altar  of 


XVII.]  OF  THE   APOSTLES.  241 

17  Therefore  disputed  he  in  the  synagogue  with  the  Jews,  and  with 
the  devout  persons,  and  in  the  market  daily  with  them  that  met 

18  with  him.  Then  certain  philosophers  of  the  Epicureans,  and  of 
the  Stoics,  encountered  him.  And  some  said,  What  will  this 
babbler  say  ?  other  some,  He  seemeth  to  be  a  setter  forth  of 
strange  gods :    because  he  preached  unto  them  Jesus,  and  the 


Greece."  Philostratus  observes  that 
"  it  was  the  part  of  prudence  to  speak 
well  of  all  the  divinities,  e.-^pecially  at 
Athens,  where  there  were  altars  to 
the  unknown  gods."  And  Petronius, 
a  Roman  satirist,  contemporary  with 
Paul,  uttered  the  sarcasm  that  "  this 
city  was  so  full  of  deities,  that  it  is 
easier  to  find  a  god  than  a  man."  In 
short,  there  was  no  city  on  the  face 
of  tlie  globe,  in  which  heathenism 
had  more  concentrated  all  that  was 
rich,  magnificent,  and  seductive.  It 
was  the  focus  of  idolatry,  which  had 
there  aiTayed  itself  with  whatever  of 
grace,  beauty,  and  fascination,  could 
be  yielded  by  the  combined  genius 
of  painting,  sculpture,  architecture, 
philosophy,  and  poetry.  And  the  in- 
ability of  man,  without  revelation,  to 
att.in  to  the  highest  personal  and 
social  good,  and  to  be  virtuous  and 
happy,  was  nowhere  more  clearly 
demonstrated  than  in  the  splendid, 
but  corrupt,  cities  of  antiquity,  like 
Athens,  Corinth,  and  Rome. 

17, 18.  The  devout  persons.  Either 
proselytes  to  Judaism,  or  Gentiles 
religiously  hiclined.  —  In  the  markit 
daily.  It  was  customary  in  Athens 
for  the  philosophers  to  teach  their 
doctrines  in  frequented  places,  in  the 
groves  and  porticoes  of  the  city.  — 
Epicureans.  So  called  from  Epicu- 
rus, a  celebrated  Athenian  philoso- 
pher, who  flourished  about  300  years 
before  Christ.  He  taught  that  pleas- 
ure was  the  summum  bonum,  or  great- 
est good  of  life,  though  not  such  as 
arose  from  sensual  indulgences,  but 
the  gratifications  of  the  mind,  and 
the  enjoyments  of  a  virtuous  and 
contented  disposition.     He  is  said  to 

VOL.  III.  21 


have  passed  a  pure  and  exemplary 
life ;  but  his  followers  perverted  his 
doctrines  into  a  license  of  sensual 
pleasures,  so  tliat  the  term  Epicurean 
is  now  used  proverbially  to  describe 
a  voluptuary.  Paul,  in  his  address, 
refen-ed  to  this  system,  which  denied 
the  creation  of  the  world  by  God; 
excluded  divine  Providence,  and  lim- 
ited the  existence  of  man  to  the  pres- 
ent state.  —  Stoics.  This  sect  of  phi- 
losophy derived  its  name  from  stoa, 
a  porch,  or  portico,  •where  its  doc- 
trines were  taught  by  Zeno,  a  native 
of  Cyprus,  who  flourished  about  the 
same  period  as  Epicurus.  This  sect 
held  that  God  had  made  the  world, 
which  was  under  the  dominion^  of  ne- 
cessity ;  that  happiness  lay  in  virtue, 
and  that  virtue  was  its  own  reward ; 
that  all  virtues  were  bound  in  one, 
and  all  vices  equal.  The  Stoics 
taught  a  lofty  insensibility  to  pain, 
that  pleasure  and  pain  were  the  same, 
and  that  all  passions  and  affections 
were  to  be  studiously  suppressed,  and 
the  mind  kept  in  an  unruffled  calm. 
To  the  leading  doctrines  of  this  sect, 
also,  the  apostle  refers,  at  least  indi- 
rectly. In  modern  representations 
both  of  the  system  of  Epicurus  and 
of  Zeno,  great  injustice  has  been 
done  to  their  original  doctrines.  For 
"  they  were  both  right,  and  both 
wrong :  for  Christianity  shoAvs  us  that 
virtue  and  happiness,  one  and  indi- 
visible, constitute  the  highest  and 
only  good,  and  the  proper  end  and 
aim  of  being."  —  Encountered.  Or, 
disputed  with  him.  —  This  babbler. 
Literally,  this  picker-up  of  seeds,  this 
trifler.  —  Setter  forth.  Or,  "  an  an- 
nouncer,   or    preacher."  —  Strange 


242 


THE   ACTS 


[Chap. 


resurrection.     And  they  took  him,  and  brought  him  unto  Areo-  19 
pagus,  saying,  May  we  know  what  this  new  doctrine,  whereof 
thou  speakest,  is  ?     For  thou  br ingest  certain  strange  things  to  20 
our  ears;    we  would   know  therefore  what  these  things  mean. 
(For  all  the  Athenians,  and  strangers  which  were  there,  spent  21 
their  time  in  nothing  else,  but  either  to  tell,  or  to  hear  some  new 
thing.) Then  Paul  stood  in  the  midst  of  Mars-hill,  and  said,  22 


gods.  Or,  neAV,  or  foreign,  demons 
or  divinities,  such  as  the  heathen 
worshipped  ;  which  were  often  men, 
deified  after  their  deatli.  TJiey  prob- 
ably understood  Paul  as  introducing 
two  new  deities ;  one  of  .them  Jesus, 
and  the  other  the  resurrection,  which 
was  of  the  feminine  gender  in  Greek, 
and  might  have  been  deemed  a  new 
goddess  to  be  worshipped.  Thus, 
Modesty,  Desire,  Fame,  Piety,  had 
altars  erected  to  their  worship  in 
Greece.  The  introduction  of  new 
gods  into  their  mythology  was  a  mat- 
ter demanding  grave  consideration, 
—  endangering,  as  it  might,  the  ad- 
oration paid  to  their  established  di- 
vinities. 

19  -  21.  Jireopagus.  Translated 
or  explained  as  "  Mars-hill,"  ver.  22. 
This  was  a  rocky  eminence  in  the 
city,  on  which  the  court,  called  the 
tribunal  of  Areopagus,  instituted  by 
Solon,  was  held ;  "  the  most  honora- 
ble and  the  most  holy  tribunal  of  all 
Greece."  .  The  name  was  derived 
from  the  fable,  that  Ares,  Mars,  Avas 
arraigned  here,  and  tried  before  the 
gods  for  the  murder  of  a  son  of  Nep- 
tune, and  hence  it  was  called  Mars- 
hill  ;  and  the  members  of  the  court 
were  styled  Areopagites.  Ver.  34. 
It  sat  in  the  open  air,  by  night,  upon 
stone  seats,  and  was  distinguishod 
for  its  impartiality  and  gravity;  so 
that  foreign  states  resorted  to  it  as  an 
umpire.  But,  in  Paul's  case.,  tJiere 
was  apparently  no  judicial  proceed- 
ing, but  only  a  popular  address  de- 
livered there  because  it  was  a  more 
convenient  and  grave' a  place  for  tiie 


discussion  of  such  matters.  —  What 
this  new  doctrine,  &fc.  Mark  i.  27. 
Their  curiosity,  rather  than  their  pi- 
ety, was  excited  ;  but  they  were  can- 
did, to  hearken  to  whatever  reason- 
ing he  might  offer.  —  Ceiiain  strange 
things.  The  gospel  was  to  them  but 
a  new  philosophical  theory ;  and  they 
inquired  respecting  it  rather  as  ama- 
teurs in  speculation,  not  as  moral 
agents,  as  sinners,  who  had  an  inter- 
est of  life  and  death  at  stake.  —  ^nd 
strangers.  Many  resorted  to  Athens, 
as  tlie  seat  of  the  fine  arts,  belles- 
lettres,  and  philosophy,  to  obtain  their 
education.  Most  of  the  great  men 
of  Rome  studied,  in  their  youth,  at 
this  city.  —  Some  new  thing.  This 
characteristic  of  the  Athenians  is 
corroborated  by  the  ancient  authors. 
Thus  Demosthenes  describes  the 
Athenians  as  "  inquiring,  in  the  place 
of  public  resort,  if  there  are  any 
news."  Thucydides  also  speaks  of 
them  as  "  excellent  in  suffering  them- 
selves to  be  deceived  by  novelty  of 
speech."  And  an  ancient  commen- 
tator of  this  passage  remarks .  that 
Thucydides  here  blames  "  the  Athe- 
nians, who  made  it  their  only  busi- 
ness to  tell  and  hear  something  that 
was  new."  And  Meussiiie  has  stated, 
there  were  more  than  three  hundred 
news-resorts  in  Athens.  Thus  do 
we  invariably  find  sacred  history  sub- 
stantiated by  many  incidental  and 
direct  proofs  from  heathen  Avriters. 

22.  Stood  in  the  midst  of  Mars- 
hill.  Or,  to  preserve  unifonnity  of 
rendering  with  ver.  ]9,  "Areopagus." 
In  tbi5  place  "  tlie  Christian  leader 


XVII.  I 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


243 


Ye  men  of  Athens,  I  perceive  that,  in  all  things  ye  are  too  super- 

23  stitious.     For  as  I  passed  by,  and  beheld  your  devotions,  I  found 

an  altar  with  this  inscription,  TO   THE   UNKNOWN   GOD. 

Whom  therefore  ye  ignorantly  worsliij),  him  declare  I  unto  you. 


takes  his  stnncl,  surrounded  on  every 
side  with  whatever  was  noble,  beau- 
tiful, and  intellectual,  in  the  older 
world  —  temples,  statues,  public  edi- 
fices, and  the  walks  of  the  philoso- 
phers. It  was  in  the  midst  of  tiiese 
elevating  associations,  to  whicli  the 
student  of  Grecian  literature  in  Tar- 
sus, the  reader  of  Menander  and  of 
the  Gree]c  philosophical  poets,  could 
scarcely  be  entirely  dead  or  igno- 
r.mt,  that  Paul  stands  forth  to  pro- 
claim the  lowly,  yet  authoritative, 
religion  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth."  Prob- 
ably, only  the  heads  of  Paul's  dis- 
course are  preserved  by  Luke. — 
Ye  men  of  Athens.  The  classical 
designation.  —  Too  superstitious.  An 
unliappy  translation,  which  exhibits 
the  apostle  as  ignorant  of  human  na- 
ture, and  destitute  of  that  tone  of 
conciliation  and  decorum,  at  the 
opening  of  his  discourse,  Avhicli  is 
an  essential  rule  in  all  oratory,  sa- 
cred or  secular.  The  literal  sense 
of  the  adjective  is  "  god-fearing," 
and  Paul  uses  the  comparative  de- 
gree, "  more  god-fearing,"  i.  e.  than 
others ;  or,  in  freer  terms,  very  re- 
ligiously inclined,  much  devoted  to 
the  Avorship  of  the  gods.  Instvad  of 
an  abrupt  and  harsh  rebuke  at  the 
onset,  "  he  begins  with  acknowledg- 
ing, in  a  laudatory  manner,  the 
strength  of  the  religious  sentiment 
among  the  Athenians,  and  adducing, 
as  a  proof  of  it,  that,  while  walking 
amongst  their  sacred  edifices,  he 
lighted  on  an  altar  dedicated  to  an 
unlaiown  god."  A  similar  mistrans- 
lation to  the  present  one  occurs  in 
chap.  XXV.  19,  where,  instead  of  "su- 
perstition," we  ought  to  read  reli- 
gion. Would  it  not  be  well  for  the 
modern  Christian  missionary  to  adopt 


more  of  the  matter  and  manner  of 
Paul's  discourse  at  Athens,  tlian  to 
make  the  peculiar  dogmas  of  his  sect 
the  prominent  topics  of  address  ? 

2S.  Your  devotions.  The  term  is 
moi'C  general,  and  signifies  "your 
objects  of  worship"  and  veneration, 
as  gods,  altars,  temples.  —  To  ike 
unknown  god.  The  critics  cite  Vii- 
rious  ancient  authors  in  confirmation 
of  this  inscription  mentioned  by  Paul. 
Diogenes  Laertius  speaks  of  '•  there 
being  found,  in  his  day,  in  the  bor- 
ouglis  of  the  Athenians,  anonymous 
altars,"  erected  on  the  occasion  of 
the  city  being  delivered  from  the 
pestilence.  Pausanias  wrote  that 
"  nigh  unto  the  altar  of  Jupiter  Olym- 
pius  was  an  altar  of  unknown  gods." 
Philostratus  refers  to  the  same  fact ; 
and  the  author  of  Philopatris  uses 
the  form  of  an  oath,  "  I  swear  by  the 
unknown  (gods)  at  Athens ; "  and 
again,  "  We  have  found  and  wor- 
shipped the  unknown  (god)  at  Ath- 
ens, and  we  will  give  thanks  to  him." 
The  apostle  appropriately  adduces 
this  striking  fact,  as  showing  that 
they  were  very  religiously  disposed. 
It  is  the  conjecture  of  Eichhorn  that, 
"  When  inscriptions  upon  sonie  of  the 
most  ancient  altars  became  efiaced 
by  time,  and  it  was  not  known  to 
whom  they  were  dedicated,  a  fresh 
inscription  was  made  to  an  unknown 
god."  —  IVhom  therefore  ye  ignorant- 
Li)  worship^  fyc.  The  apostle  ingeni- 
ously, but  f:-drly,  identifies  the  God 
Avhom  he  preached  with  the  God 
whom  they  ignorantly  adored,  and 
to  whom  they  had  erected  an  altar. 
He  also  happily  took  advantage  of 
this  incidental  confession  of  their  ig- 
norance, as  if  to  justify  himself  for 
what  was  so  great  presumption  in 


244 


THE   ACTS 


[Chap. 


God,  that  made  the  world,  and  all  things  therein,  seeing  that  he  24 
is  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  dvvelleth  not  in  temples  made  with 
hands;    neither  is  worshipped  with  men's  hands,  as  though  he  25 
needed  any  thing,  seeing  he  giveth  to  all  life,  and  breath,  and  all 
things;    and  hath  made  of  one  blood  all  nations  of  men  for  to  26 
dwell  on  all  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  hath  determined  the  times 


their  eyes  —  an  itinerant  Jew  under- 
taking to  instruct  the  mighty  mas- 
ters of  Grecian  philosophy.  1  Cor. 
i.  22-25.  By  the  laws  of  Athens,  it 
was  death  to  introduce  new  gods, 
without  the  sanction  of  the  tribunal 
of  the  Areopagus. 

24, 25.  Made  the  luorld,  ^'c.  The 
apostle  exhibits  the  Deity,  neither  as 
an  idle  being,  of  human  shape,  ac- 
cording to  the  Epicureans,  nor  as  a 
mere  soul  of  the  world,  according  to 
the  Stoics ;  but  as  an  intelligent 
Spirit,  superior  to  his  works.  He 
also  conflicted  with  the  Stoic  doc- 
ti-ine,  that  matter  was  eternal ;  since 
he  predicates  of  the  world  a  crea- 
tion within  time.  Rosenmuller  ob- 
serves that  "  Paul,  with  consummate 
art,  so  tempers  his  address,  as  now 
to  contend  on  the  side  of  the  vulgar, 
against  the  philosopher,  and  now  on 
the  side  of  tlie  philosopher,  against 
the  people,  —  and  yet,  again,  against 
both  parties."  —  Dwelleth  not  in  tem- 
ples. ]  Kings  viii.  27;  Is.  jxvi.  .1. 
The  aptness  of  tliis  remark  will  be 
best  appreciated,  when  it  is  remem- 
bered that  Paul  stood  in  the  midst  of 
a  city  full  of  heathen  temples,  altars, 
statues,  and  sacrifices,  —  the  very 
metropolis  of  polytheism,  from  which 
the  fumes  of  incense  were  constant- 
ly rising  to  heaven.  The  sublimity 
of  the  simple  annunciation  of  tlie 
nature  and  worship  of  the  true  God, 
will  be  best  felt  when  the  circum- 
stances under  which  Paul  spoke  are 
taken  into  consideration.  —  J?*  though 
he  needed  any  thing,  ^-c.  It  was  im- 
piety, not  adoration,  to  offer  sacri- 
fices to  such  a  being,  under  tlie  im- 


pression that  tliey  were  necessary  to 
his  existence  or  happiness  ;  for  he  is 
not  only  all-sufficient  to  himself,  but 
is  tlie  inexhaustible  source  of  life,  and 
breath  by  which  life  is  supported, 
and  of  all  things  which  make  it  de- 
sirable, happy,  and  hopeful. 

26.  Made  of  one  blood  all  nations 
of  men,  ^c.  Here,  and  in  ver.  30, 
the  apostle  teaches  the  doctrine  of  a 
divine  Providence,  in  tacit  opposition 
to  those  philosophers  who  held  tliat 
all  human  beings  and  affairs  were 
the  sport  of  chance,  or  the  machines 
of  fate.  God  had  originally  made 
all  of  one  parentage,  and  arranged 
the  period  of  national  existence,  and 
determined  the  vast  changes  of  col- 
onization and  emigration.  He  had 
placed  one  tribe  here,  and  another 
there ;  and  determined  the  rise,  de- 
cline, and  fall  of  empires.  He  was 
not  a  national  god,  but  the  Father  of 
the  whole  family  of  man.  By  assert- 
ing the  doctrine  of  a  common  origin, 
the  apostle  at  tlie  same  time  virtually 
taught  that,  as  a  Jew,  he  did  not,  and 
tliat  his  audience,  as  Grecians,  ought 
not  to,  claim  any  natural  superiority 
over  the  rest  of  mankind.  The  Jews 
should  not  pride  themselves  upon  be- 
ing the  chosen  people,  nor  the  Athe- 
nians boast  of  their  descent,  —  claim- 
ing, as  tliey  did,  to  be  aborigines  on 
tlie  soil  of  Attica,  —  nor  the  philoso- 
phers wrap  themselves  up  in  haughty 
pride,  and  stand  aloof  from  their  spe- 
cies ;  for  the  same  blood  flowed  in  all 
their  veins.  Olshausen  remarks  that 
the  apostle  here  confirms  the  doctrine 
of  tlie  Old  Testament,  which  ac- 
quires, after  all  the  latest  researches 


XVIL] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


245 


27  before  appointed,  and  the  bounds  of  their  habitation ;  that  they 
should  seek  the  Lord,  if  haply  they  might  feel  after  him,  and  find 

28  him,  though  he  be  not  far  from  every  one  of  us :  for  in  him  we 
live,  and  move,  and  have  our  being;  as  certain  also  of  your  own 

29  poets  have  said,  For  we  are  also  his  offspring.  Forasmuch  then 
as  we  are  the  offspring  of  God,  we  ought  not  to  think  that  the 
Godhead  is  like  unto  gold,  or  silver,  or  stone,  graven  by  art  and 


of  physiology  and  geology,  new  and 
complete  probability  that  all  mankind 
descended  from  one  pair.  The  com- 
mon origin  of  the  human  race  fur- 
nishes a  host  of  arguments  against 
slavery,  oppression,  pride,  and  sel- 
fishness ;  and  bids  every  mortal  man 
remember,  Avith  vivid  feeling,  that  he 
is  his  "  brother's  keeper,"  wherever 
his  influence  can  extend. 

27,  28.  If  haply  thty  might  feel  af- 
ter him,  &)•€.  i.  e.  if,  perhaps,  or  possi- 
bly, they  might  search  afler  Iiira,  and 
find  him  out,  even  in  the  twilight  of 
natural  religion.  The  end  for  v\^]iich 
they  were  created,  placed  on  tlie 
eaith,  and  nourished,  was  to  seek 
God,  to  pursue  after  the  highest 
knowledge,  to  live  a  spiritual  life  in 
the  Father.  Even  the  works  of  na- 
ture bespoke  One  God,  if  men  would 
seek  to  know  him.  Rom.  i.  19, 20. 
—  Tliough  he  he  not  far  from  every 
one,  ^c.  Jer.  xxiii.  23,  24.  The 
nearness  of  God  to  his  creatures,  and 
his  interest  in  them,  were  doctrines 
in  direct  contradiction  both  to  those 
who  denied  the  existence  of  a  pre- 
siding divinity,  and  to  those  who  re- 
solved him  into  an  iron  destiny.  —  In 
him  we  live,  &fc.  This  is  connected 
with  the  foregoing  clause,  and  forms 
a  species  of  climax ;  God  is  not  only 
neir  us,  but  ive  live  in  Him  who  is  all 
in  all.  According  to  Neander,  it 
may  be  understood  as  expressing 
more  than  what  men  have  in  com- 
mon with  other  creatures,  viz.,  their 
secret  connection  with  God,  as  the 
Father  of  spirits,  in  virtue  of  their 
si)iritual  and  moral  nature.  —  ^s  cer- 
21* 


tain,  also,  of  your  own  poets  have 
said,  S^c.  It  appears  that  Paul  was 
conversant  with  Greek  literature,  as 
well  as  the  peculiar  learning  of  the 
JcAvs.  The  sentiment  of  his  quota- 
tion is  found  in  several  ancient  poets, 
with  a  heathen  application.  In  a 
hymn  to  Jupiter  by  Cleanthes,  a  Stoic 
philosopher  and  poet  of  Troas,  suc- 
cessor to  Zeno  as  the  master  of  that 
system  of  philosophy,  occurs  tlie  fol- 
lowing passage : 

"  Ma  e.«t!c  Jove,  all  hail  !     To  thee  belong 
Til"  >ii|)pii :i!)t  p.ayer,  the  tributary  soiior, 
To  til  e  foiti  all  thy  mortal  offspring  due. 
Fr  >m  line  we  came,  from  thee  our  being  drew: 
Wh  tevf  r  lives  and  moves,  great  Sire  !  is  thine, 
Embo(li<;d  portions  of  the  soul  divine  !  " 

But  more  particularly,  in  a  poem 
upon  de.-criptive  astronomy,  entitled 
Phenomena,  and  written  by  Aratus, 
B.  C.  250,  a  native  of  Cilicia,  the 
country  of  Paul,  we  have  the  exact 
words  of  the  text : 

"  From  Jove   we    sprung,    whom  we   mortals 

should  ne'er 
Leave   unsung.     Of  Jove  the   public  walks 

are 
Full,  and  councils  all  of  men  ;  both  the  sea 
And  shore  are  full  of  him.     From  Jove  comes 

all 
That  we  enjoy  ;  for  we  are  his  off^pring.^' 

The  original  forms  half  of  an  hex- 
ameter verse.  Hesiod,  Pindar,  and 
Lucretius  expressed  the  same  idea, 
with  sligfht  verbal  variations. 

29.  We  are  the.  offspring  of  God, 
^■c.  Gen.  i.  26,  27.  The  reasoning 
of  the  apostle  is  clear  and  strong. 
Since  men  are  living  and  intelligent 
creatures,  capable  of  seeking  after 
God,  and  since  they  are  the  offspring 


246 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


man's  device.     And  the  times  of  this  ignorance  God  winked  at ;  30 
but  now  coramandeth  all  men  every  where  to  repent :    because  31 
he  hath  appointed  a  day,  in  the  which  he  will  judge  the  world  in 
righteousness,  by  that  man  whom  he  hath  ordained  :    whereof  he 
hath  given  assurance  unto  all  men,  in  that  he  hath  raised  him 


of  the  Deity,  they  ought  not  to  sup- 
pose that  any  thing  less  than  worship 
to  Him  as  a  living  being,  would  sat- 
isfy their  obligations  to  him,  or  the 
claims  of  their  own  spiritual  nature. 
The  conclusion  is,  that  the  whole 
paraphernalia  of  idolatry  —  its  tem- 
ples, statues,  images  mltars,  and  sac- 
rifices —  was  a  false  method  of  wor- 
ship. For  God  did  hot  reside  in 
this  temple,  or  that  statue,  peculiarly, 
since  they  were  but  dead  matter,  but 
he  was  a  living  intelligence  like  his 
worshippers ;  as  were  the  offspring, 
so  was  the  parent.  He  was  a  spirit, 
and  nought  would  suffice  but  a  spir- 
itual worship,  agreeable  to  the  quali- 
ties of  his  own  nature.  As  if  Paul 
had  said,  "We,  who  are  of  celestial 
origin,  ought  to  entertain  more  noble 
ideas  of  our  celestial  Father  than  to 
liken  him  to  gold  or  silver,  or  to  en- 
shrine him  in  a  motionless,  though 
beautiful,  statue  of  stone."  Is.  xl. 
18  -  23.  —  Graven,  i.  e.  wrought  or 
sculptured  —  an  art  carried  to  great 
perfection  at  Athens. 

30.  This  ignorance  God  ivinktd  at, 
^'c.  i.  e.  God,  in  ages  past,  had,  with 
much  long-suffering,  overlooked,  so 
to  say,  the  abominations  of  heathen- 
ism, great  as  they  were,  and  had  not 
interposed  to  bring  them  to  an  im- 
mediate end.  The  measure  of  men's 
privileges  was  the  rule  of  his  judg- 
ment Luke  xii.  48.  He  permitted 
demonstration  to  be  made  to  them, 
how  far  they  could  attain  to  the 
knowledge  of  him  without  revela- 
tion. Chap.  xiv.  16,  and  note.  But 
he  had  now  interposed  to  save  them 
from  their  spiritual  debasement,  and 
the  first  word  of  the  new  dispensation 
was  Repentance.     This  was  the  bur- 


den of  John's  preaching,  and  the 
earliest  precept  of  Jesus.  The  apos- 
tles sounded  the  same  call,  and  the 
preachers  of  every  age  must  proclaim 
tbis  imperative  and  preliminary  duty, 
and  the  promises  of  pardon  and  bles- 
sedness. 2  Peter  iii.  9.  But,  as 
remarked  by  Cappe,  the  apostle  is 
not  urging  the  argument  for  repent- 
ance, in  general,  so  much  as  that  all 
men  every  where  should  turn  tliem- 
selves  from  ritual  observances,  from 
superstition  and  idolatry,  and  serve 
Him,  the  living  and  true  God,  in 
spirit,  and  in  truth. 

3J.  Judge  the  ivorld  in  righteous- 
ness, ".ludge"  is  often  used  in  the 
Bible  with  the  sense  of  rule,  govern. 
1  Sam.  viii.  5,  6 ;  1  Kings  iii.  9 ; 
Mat.  xix.  28 ;  Acts  xxiv.  10.  Here 
was  a  powerful  motive  for  repent- 
■  ance,  and  the  adoption  of  a  spiritual 
religion.  God,  wlio  had  hitherto  suf- 
fered men  to  walk,  as  it  were,  in  their 
own  ways,  had  now  placed  the  world 
under  the  moral  rules  of  a  neiv  dis- 
pensation, Avith  a  new  governor  at 
its  head ;  and  had,  moreover,  given 
assurance,  by  his  resurrection  from 
the  dead,  of  his  full  power  and  au- 
thority, as  the  representative  of  God, 
and  opened  the  view  of  a  future  day 
of  righteous  retribution.  See  notes 
on  John  v.  25  -  29,  and  Acts  x.  42.  — 
By  that  man  lohom  he  hath  ordained. 
If  Jesus  had  been  known  to  Paul  as 
the  eternal  and  self-existent  God,  it 
is  utterly  incredible  that  he  should 
have  used  a  term  expressive  of  a 
finite,  and  created  being.  It  is  the 
singular  remark  of  Calmet,  that "  Paul 
gives  the  name  of  man  to  the  Sav- 
iour, because  his  hearers  were  not 
yet  in  a  condition  to  know  his  di- 


XVII.1 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


247 


32  from  the  dead. And  when  they  heard  of  the  resurrection  of 

the  dead,  some  mocked :    and   others  said,  We  will  hear  thee 

33  again   of  this  matter.      So   Paul   departed   from    among  them. 
31  Hovvbeit,   certain    men    clave  unto  him,   and   believed :    among 

the  which  was  Dionysius  the  Areopagite,  and  a  woman  named 
Damaris,  and  others  with  them. 


vinity,  (deity.)  He  did  not  wish  to 
throw  pearls  before  swine."  —  In  that 
he  h'dh  raised  him,  Sfc.  The  resur- 
rection of  Christ  was  the  grand  proof 
of  his  commission  and  authority  from 
God,  and  at  the  same  time  exhibited 
his  moral  empire  over  the  souls  of 
men  as  extending  onwards  beyond 
Uie  transient  dominion  of  the  grave, 
and  spreading  throughout  a  bound- 
less eternity. 

32.  Some  mocked.  They  were, 
probably,  the  Epicureans,  who  dis- 
believed in  a  future  state,  and  who 
Avould,  therefore,  be  most  disposed  to 
ridicule  the  doctrine  of  the  resurrec- 
tion. The  apostle  was  interrupted 
before  the  conclusion  of  his  speech, 
and  it  can  only  remain  matter  of 
conjecture,  what  turn  he  would  have 
finally  given  to  the  argument  for  the 
Christian  mission  before  the  polished 
Athenians.  —  JVe  ivill  hear  thee  again. 
These  were  perhaps  the  Stoics,  who 
held  some  notions  of  a  general  con- 
flagration, and  the  restoration  of  the 
earth  under  a  regenerated  form. 

33,  34.  Departed.  From  the  Areo- 
pagus. —  Howbeit.  N  otwithstanding 
the  general  levity  with  which  his 
inimitable  discourse  was  received, 
there  were  a  few  in  whose  hearts  he 
had  planted  the  arrows  of  conviction. 
It  is  remarkable,  however,  that,  while 
flourishing  churches  were  founded 
in  some  remote  provincial  towns, 
in  this  city  no  Christian  community 
appears  to  have  been  then  gathered. 
The  philosophy  of  Athens  presented, 
seemingly,  a  more  adamantine  front 
to  the  reception  of  the  humble  gos- 
pel of  the  crucified   One,  tlian  the 


sensuality  of  Corinth,  or  the  ambition 
of  Rome.  —  Dionysius  the  Areopagite. 
A  member  of  the  august  court  of  the 
Areopagus.  One  convert  from  such 
a  body  was  no  small  trophy.  Notli- 
ing  further  is  known  of  him  with 
assurance.  —  Damaris.  Probably  a 
woman  of  rank  and  influence. 

It  is  worthy  of  especial  attention, 
that  the  discourses  of  the  apostles,  in 
the  book  of  the  Acts,  though  ad- 
dressed to  both  Jews  and  Gentiles, 
contain  scarce  a  trace,  even  by  hard- 
wrung  inference,  of  those  doctrines 
that  are  now  brought  forward  as  the 
very  sum  and  substance  of  the  gos- 
pel by  many  Christians,  and  without 
assent  to  which  none  are  allowed  by 
them  the  Christian  name  or  privi- 
leges. May  Ave  not  put  our  finger 
fearlessly  on  the  speeches  of  Peter 
and  Paul,  and  ask  where,  Avhere  is 
the  dogma  of  the  Trinity?  of  the 
Deity  (not  the  divinity)  of  Jesus 
Christ  ?  of  the  Personality  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  ?  of  the  total  native  De- 
pravity of  man  ?  of  the  vicarious  suf- 
ferings and  death  of  Christ  ?  of  the 
Election  of  some  to  eternal  life,  and 
of  others  to  eternal  perdition,  without 
choice  or  act  of  their  own  ?  —  and 
other  points  which  might  be  speci- 
fied. On  the  contrary,  are  not  the 
direct  teachings  of  these  inspired 
men  clearly  the  following :  — the  One 
God,  the  Maker  of  all,  and  Father 
of  men;  the  Messiah,  predicted  to 
the  Jews  by  the  prophets  as  his  Son, 
and  the  Saviour  of  sinners  ;  the  Holy 
Spirit,  as  the  miraculous  aid  and  gifts 
bestowed  on  the  apostles  and  others, 
or  the  natural  influence  of  the  mind 


248 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


CHAPTER  XVHI. 

Paul  visits  Corinth  and  Ephestis,  and  returns  to  Judea  and  iiyria;  and  thence 
makes  a  Tour  in  Asia  Minor.  Apollos  embraces  the  Gospel,  and  becomes  a 
Preacher. 

After  these  things,  Paul  departed  from  Athens,  and  came  to 
Corinth  ;  and  found  a  certain  Jew  named  Aquila,  born  in  Pontus, 
lately  come  from  Italy,  with  his  wife  Priscilla,  (because  that  Clau- 
dius had  commanded  all  Jews  to  depart  from  Rome,)  and  came 


of  God  upon  the  mind  of  man ;  the 
duty  of  Faith  in  tlie  Son  of  God,  of 
Repentance  for  sin,  and  Reformation 
of  life  ;  of  the  Immortality  of  the 
soul,  and  a  Future  State  of  righteous 
Retribution.  It  is  painful  to  speak 
of  the  conti'oversies  of  our  time ;  a 
sad  silence  seems  sometimes  tlie  only 
fitting  expression ;  but  the  cause  of 
Clu-istian  truth,  and  the  salvation  of 
sinners,  demand  that  what  was  taught 
with  the  wisdom,  and  sealed  Avith 
the  blood,  of  those  sainted  men  of  the 
apostolic  age,  and  Avhat  agreed  per- 
fectly Avith  the  lessons  of  the  Master 
himself,  should  be  brought  into  that 
clear  and  natural  perspective  in  Avhich 
they  Avere  then  set ;  and  that  the 
additions  and  corruptions  of  men, 
originated  in  Jewish  and  heathen 
philosophy,  imposed  by  the  terrors 
of  persecution,  and  still  sustained  by 
the  force  of  prejudice  and  custom, 
should  be  throAvn  out  of  the  scene. 
The  Bible  be  our  creed,  Christ  our 
Master,  and  all  holy  men  our  church ! 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
1.  Corinth.  The  apostle  soon  left 
Athens,  Avhere  the  truth  ajjparently 
made  little  impression,  and  came  to 
this  city,  the  capital  of  Achaia.  Cor- 
inth Avas  built  on  tiie  isthmus  Avhich 
joins  the  Peloponnesus  to  the  rest 
of  Greece  and  the  continent,  between 
the  Corinthian  Gulf,  on  the  Avest, 
running  up  from  the  Ionian  Sea,  and 
the  Saronic  Gulf,  connected  Avith  the 
iEgean  Sea,  on  the  east.  It  had  two 
ports,  Lecheeum  and  Cenchrea,  re- 


spectively situated  on  the  above  wa- 
ters. Though  once  utterly  destroyed 
by  the  Romans,  it  was,  at  the  time  of 
this  history,  flourishing  in  all  its  mag- 
niticence.  It  Avas  the  mart  of  commerce 
betAA'een  the  eastern  and  Avestern 
parts  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  bor- 
dering on  Europe,  and  distinguished 
for  its  riches,  luxury,  and  debauchery, 
so  that  it  has  been  called  at  once  the 
Venice  and  the  Paris  of  antiquity. 
Tlie  arts  and  literature  Avere  also  here 
carried  to  great  perfection,  and  Cor- 
inth added  one  order  to  architecture. 
Such  Avas  its  splendor,  that  Cicero 
called  it  "the  light  of  all  Greece," 
though,  in  dissoluteness  of  manners 
and  the  licentious  Avorship  of  Venus, 
it  probably  exceeded  the  sensuality 
of  any  ancient  city.  Two  of  the 
epistles  of  Paul  are  directed  to  the 
disciples  at  this  place. 

2.  A  certain  Jtio  named  Jlquila. 
Who  afterwards  became  a  Christian, 
Rom.  xvi.  3, 4,  together  with  his  wife. 

—  Pontus.     See  chap.  ii.  9,  and  note. 

—  Italy.  One  of  the  southern  coun- 
tries of  Europe,  extending  into  the 
Mediterranean  Sea,  Avhose  capital 
was  Rome.  —  Claudius,  i.  e.  Clau- 
dius Cesar,  the  Roman  emperor,  A. 
D.  41  to  A.  D.  54,  Avhen  he  was  put 
to  death  by  poison.  —  Had  command- 
ed allJeu'S  to  depart,  from  Rome.  Sue- 
tonius, the  biographer  of  Claudius, 
relates  that  "  he  expelled  from  Rome 
the  JeAvs,  Avho  Avere  constantly  exci- 
ting tumult  under  their  leader  Chres- 
tus ; "  by  Avhich,  as  is  supposed  by 
many,  the  disturbances  between  the 


XVIII.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


249 


3  unto  them.     And  because  he  was  of  the  same  craft,  he  abode 
with  them,  and  wrought,  (for  by  their  occupation  they  were  tent- 

4  makers.)     And   he  reasoned  in  the  synagogue  every  Sabbath, 

5  and  persuaded  the  Jews  and  the  Greeks.     And  when  Silas  and 
Timotheus  were  come  from  Macedonia,   Paul   was  pressed  in 

G  spirit,  and  testified  to  the  Jews,  that  Jesus  loas  Christ.     And 


Jews  and  the  Christians,  chiefly  con- 
verts from  the  Jews,  are  to  be  under- 
stood —  the  historian  mistaking  the 
exact  name,  and  not  understanding 
but  what  the  prime  agent  was  him- 
S3lf  Uving,  and  present  at  Rome.  A 
Roman  historian,  occupied,  as  he 
would  beUeve,  Avith  far  greater  mat- 
ters of  courts  and  kingdoms,  would 
not  be  likely  to  be  very  well  in- 
formed about  the  despised  Jews,  nor 
to  investigate  very  accurately  the 
history  of  their  obscure  chiefs.  But 
the  general  agreement  between  the 
profane  and  the  sacred  writer  is 
worthy  of  remark,  as  proof  of  Luke's 
veracity  and  fidelity  as  a  narrator 
of  the  events  of  the  time.  It  may 
be  added,  that  the  decree  of  banish- 
ment was  not  long  in  force,  as  Clau- 
dius soon  afterwards  died,  and  Aquila 
was  again  in  Rome.     Rom.  xvi.  3. 

3.  The  same  craft.  Or  trade,  or 
art.  —  And  lorought.  This  statement 
coincides  with  many  passages  in  the 
epistles.  1  Cor.  iv.  12 ;  2  Cor.  xi.  9 ; 
1  Thes.  ii.  9 ;  2  Thes.  iii.  8 ;  Acts 
XX.  34.  According  to  the  customs 
of  Jewish  education,  Paul  had  been 
taught  the  trade  of  tent-making ;  and, 
not  wishing  to  be  burdensome  to  his 
friends  in  Corinth  and  Ephesus,  and 
desirous  of  removing  every  unworthy 
charge,  "that  tlie  ministry  be  not 
blamed,"  he  toils  for  his  own  support 
with  a  lofty  independence.  It  was 
a  saying  of  the  Talmud,  that  he  "  that 
teacheth  not  his  son  a  trade  does  as 
if  he  taught  him  to  be  a  thief"  Some 
of  the  rabbins  were  called  "shoe- 
makers," others  "  bakers  and  carpen- 
ters," &c.     Jesus  himself  was  a  me- 


chanic; see  notes  on  Mat.  xiii.  55, 
and  Mark  vi.  3.  Well  would  it  be, 
if  labor  was  ever  held  in  such  honor, 
and  idleness  and  uselessness  classed 
with  tlieir  proper  disgrace.  "  Un- 
speakably touching  is  it,  when  both 
dignities  (of  the  material  and  the  spir- 
itual laborer)  are  united ;  and  he  that 
must  toil  outwardly  for  the  lowest 
of  man's  wants  is  also  toiling  in- 
wardly for  the  highest.  Sublimer,  in 
this  world,  know  I  nothing,  tlian  a 
peasant-saint,  could  such  now  any 
where  be  met  with.  Such  a  one  will 
take  thee  back  to  Nazareth  itself; 
thou  wilt  see  the  splendor  of  heaven 
spring  forth  from  the  humblest  depths 
of  earth,  like  a  light  shining  in  great 
darkness." — Tent-makers.  This  trade 
was  in  great  request  in  the  East,  for 
supplying  soldiers,  travellers,  and 
others. 

4,  5.  Reasoned  —  every  SabbaiJu 
Laboring  witli  his  hands  during  the 
six  days  of  the  week,  he  strove,  on  the 
seventh,  to  reconcile  his  fellow-men 
to  God,  and  implant  in  tlieir  hearts 
the  gospel-seed,  the  germs  of  infinite 
love,  progress,  and  blessedness. — 
Were  come.  They  were  directed  to 
follow  him,  chap.  xvii.  15,  with  all  ex- 
pedition. —  JFas  pressed  in  spirit. 
"He  was  under  the  impulse  of  ar- 
dent zeal."  He  was  constrained  to 
speak.  The  coming  of  his  friends, 
and  the  intelligence  tliey  brought, 
kindled  his  soul  witli  a  new  ardor  in 
his  great  work,  and  encouraged  him 
to  preach  witli  redoubled  power.  1 
Cor.  ii.  1  -  5.  —  JVas  Christ.  Ratlier, 
"  was  the  Christ." 

6.  And  blasphemed.  They  not  only 


250 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap 


when  they  opposed  themselves,  and   blasphemed,  he  shook  Ms 
raiment,  and   said  unto  them,  Your   blood  be   upon  your  own 
heads :  I  am  clean :  from  henceforth  I  will  go  unto  the  Gentiles. 
And  he  departed  thence,  and  entered  into  a  certain  man's  house,  7 
named  Justus,  one  that  worshipped  God,  whose  house  joined  hard 
to  the  synagogue.    And  Crispus,  the  chief  ruler  of  the  synagogue,  8 
believed  on  the  Lord  with  all  his  house :  and  many  of  the  Corin- 
thians hearing,  believed,  and  were  baptized.     Then  spake  the  9 
Lord  to  Paul  in  the  night  by  a  vision.  Be  not  afraid,  but  speak, 
and  hold  not  thy  peace :   for  I  am  with  thee,  and  no  man  shall  10 
set  on  thee,  to  hurt  thee :   for  I  have  much  people  in  this  city. 
And  he  continued  there  a  year  and  six  months,  teaching  the  word  11 
of  God  among  them. 


opposed  the  gospel,  but  heaped  in- 
sult and  impious  contempt  upon  the 
blessed  cause.  —  Shook  his  raiment. 
As  if  to  shake  off  the  dust  of  the 
place,  or  to  express  his  abhorrence 
of  their  conduct,  and  to  show  that  he 
considered  his  skirts  clear  of  their 
destruction.  Neh.  v.  13 ;  Acts  xiii. 
51.  —  Your  blood  be  upon  your  own 
heads,  ^c.  The  responsibility  rests 
upon  you,  not  upon  me.  There  is  no 
imprecation  or  threat,  but  an  em- 
phatic assertion,  tliat,  if  they  per- 
ished, they  would  perish  by  tlieir 
own  folly,  and  not  because  the  way 
of  salvation  had  not  been  pointed  out 
to  tliem.  2  Sam.  i.  16 ;  Ezek.  xxxiii. 
4;  Mat  xxvii.  25.  —  Henceforth  I 
■will  go  unto  the  Gentiles.  Not  in 
general,  but  particularly  at  Corinth ; 
for,  elsewhere,  Paul  still  addressed 
the  Jews  iirst,  as  had  been  his  cus- 
tom. Chap.  xix.  8,  9.  These  words 
were  spoken,  not  in  anger  and  re- 
venge, at  his  little  success,  but  in 
warning  and  a  holy  indignation  at 
their  wickedness. 

7.  Departed  thence,  i.  e.  from  the  syn- 
agogue.— Entered  into  a  certain  man's 
house.  It  appears  to  have  been  not 
his  lodgings  which  he  changed,  but 
his  place  of  holding  religious  meet- 
ings. —  Joined  hard  to  the  synagogue. 
Or,  was  situated  very  near,  which 


circumstance,  perhaps,  rendered  it 
more  convenient  for  general  access. 
Nothing  further  is  known  of  Justus. 

8.  Crispus.  1  Cor.  i.  14.  He  was 
baptized  by  Paul,  perhaps,  on  account 
of  his  official  station  in  the  syna- 
gogue.—  The  chief  ruler,  ^'c.  There 
were  usually  several  intrusted  with 
the  care  of  the  synagogues,  of  which 
one  held  the  chief  post.  The  Sos- 
thenes  of  ver.  17  was,  perhaps,  chosen 
as  his  successor. 

9,  10.  Be  not  afraid.  1  Cor.  ii.  3. 
The  apostle  had  met  with  much  op- 
position, and  needed  encouragement 
—  JVb  man  shall  set  on  thee,  to  hurt 
thee.  It  has  been  suspected  that  a 
conspiracy  was  formed  against  him, 
which  threatened  his  life,  but  he  was 
assured  that  he  was  shielded  by  a 
higher  power.  —  For  I  have  much 
people  in  this  city.  This  was  a  rea- 
son why  he  should  persevere  in 
preaching  the  gospel.  Many  would 
be  converted  to  the  Christian  faith, 
and  unite  with  the  band  of  believers, 
and  thus  become  the  people  of  God. 
Dissolute  though  it  was,  Corinth  af- 
forded a  finer  field  for  religious  in- 
fluence than  Athens,  for  it  was  not 
puffed  up,  like  that  city,  with  the  con- 
ceit of  its  own  wisdom.     1  Cor.  i.  22. 

1 1.  Continued  there  a  year  and  six 
months.     On  account  of  the  success 


XVlll.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


251 


12  And  when  Gallic  was  the  deputy  of  Achaia,  the  Jews  made 
insurrection  with  one  accord  against  Paul,  and  brought  him  to 

13  the  judgment-seat,  saying,  Th\^  fellow  persuadeth  men  to  worship 
It  God  contrary  to  the  law.      And  when  Paul  was  now  about  to 

open  his  mouth,  Gallio  said  unto  the  Jews,  If  it  were  a  matter 
of  wrong,  or  wicked  lewdness,  O  ye  Jews,  reason  would  that  I 


which  attended  his  labors,  and  the 
multitude  of  his  converts.  It  was 
during  this  period,  as  is  supposed 
with  great  probability,  that  he  wrote 
his  two  epistles  to  the  Thessalonians, 
and  perhaps  that  to  the  Galatians; 
since  the  churches  in  those  places 
had  been  lately  planted,  and  required 
guidance  and  encouragement. 

12.  Gallio.  He  was  a  younger 
brotlier  of  Seneca,  the  distinguished 
moralist  and  philosopher,  and  uncle  of 
the  epic  poet  Lucan.  He  is  eulogized 
by  Seneca,  Quintilian,  and  Statius, 
as  uncommonly  amiable  and  gentle 
in  speech  and  manners,  free  from  art 
and  dissimulation,  and  beloved  by  all. 
He  was  appointed  a  second  time 
governor  of  Achaia,  but  was  finally 
put  to  death  by  the  ferocious  Nero, 
as  ^vere  also  his  brothers,  Seneca,  and 
Mela  the  father  of  Lucan.  —  Deputy 
of  Achaia.  After  the  conquest  of 
Greece,  the  Romans  divided  it  into 
two  provinces — the  northern  called 
Macedonia,  and  the  southern  Achaia, 
which  last  included  Attica  and  the 
Peloponnesus.  Achaia  was  origi- 
nally given  to  the  senate  and  the 
people ;  see  note  on  chap.  xiii.  7  ; 
and  was  under  a  governor  called 
proconsul,  or,  as  improperly  rendered 
in  the  text,  "  deputy ; "  but  it  after- 
wards belonged  to  the  emperor,  and 
was  governed  by  an  officer  called 
proprator.  Before  the  time  of  the 
present  history,  however,  it  had  re- 
verted to  the  people,  A.  D.  44,  and 
was  ruled  by  Gallio,  A.  D.  52  or  53, 
as  proconsid.  It  afterwards  passed 
through  various  fortunes  of  freedom 
and  sei-vitade :  but  Luke  shows  his 


acquaintance  with  the  political  his- 
tory of  his  times,  in  giving  to  Gallio 
his  proper  title,  as  a  Roman  procon- 
sul. —  The  Jews  —  judgment-seat. 
The  JeAvs,  perhaps,  assaulted  Paul, 
and.  brought  him  to  the  tribunal  of 
the  governor  at  this  particular  time, 
partly  because  Gallio  was  a  mild  and 
peaceful  man,  whom  they  thought 
easily  to  bend  to  their  purposes,  and 
partly  because  he  was  lately  installed 
in  his  office,  as  is  implied  by  the  first 
clause  of  the  verse,  properly  transla- 
ted :  "  And  upon  Gallio  becoming 
proconsul,  the  Jews,"  &c.  But  they 
were  disappointed  in  their  man.  The 
great  success  of  Paul  had  doubtless 
previously  inflamed  their  envy,  and. 
prepared  the  way  for  this  uproar. 

13.  To  worship  God  contrary  to  the 
law,  i.  e.  tlie  law  of  Moses.  The 
Romans  tolerated  the  Jews  in  their 
worship ;  and  the  present  charge  was, 
tliat  this  enjoyment  of  their  peculiar 
religious  privileges  was  encroached 
upon  by  the  heresy  of  Paul  inculca- 
ting the  worship  of  God  contrary  to 
their  usages,  but  not  contrary,  in  real- 
ity, to  the  spirit  of  the  Mosaic  dis- 
pensation. 

\A.  A  matter  of  wrong.  Or,  of  in- 
justice. —  IVicked  lewdness.  Or, 
mischief,  or  crime.  When  Paul  was 
about  to  enter  upon  his  defence,  Gal- 
lio prevented  him  by  stating  that,  if 
tlie  cause  was  one  of  crime,  as  theft, 
or  murder,  or  any  civil  offence,  it 
would  fall  beneath  his  jurisdiction, 
and  it  would  be  reasonable  that  he 
should  bear  with  the  Jews,  or  pa 
tiently  examine  the  cause. 


252 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


should  bear  with  you ;    but  if  it  be  a  question  of  words  and  15 
names,  and  of  your  law,  look  ye  to  it :  for  I  will  be  no  judge 
of  such  matters.     And  he  drave  them  from  the  judgment-seat.  16 
Then  all  the  Greeks  took  Sosthenes,  the  chief  ruler  of  the  syna-  17 
gogue,  and  beat  liim  before  the  judgment-seat.    And  Gallic  cared 
for  none  of  those  things. 

And  Paul  after  this  tarried  there  yet  a  good  while,  and  then  18 
took  his  leave  of  the  brethren,  and  sailed  thence  into  Syria,  and 
with  him  Priscilla  and  Aquila;    having  shorn  his  head  in  Cen- 


15,  16.  A  question  of  tvords  — 
names  —  laiv.  But,  on  the  contrary, 
he  assured  them  that  if  it  was,  as  he 
understood  it  to  be,  a  question  among 
themselves  in  reference  to  their  re- 
ligious factions,  he  would  have  noth- 
ing to  do  with  it.  As  if  he  had  said, 
"  I  am  not  sent  here  as  a  judge  of 
your  religious  differences  ;  these  are 
to  be  rectified  among  yourselves." 
And  his  decision  was  strictly  accord- 
ing to  the  extent  of  his  jurisdiction, 
and  accorded  well  with  the  character 
given  him  above  by  his  contempo- 
raries. —  Drove  them.  Or,  authorita- 
tively dismissed  them  from  the  tri- 
bunal. 

17.  The  Greeks,  i.  e.  the  heathen 
Gentiles,  and  the  party  which  sided 
with  Paul,  who,  in  their  imperfect 
confonnity  to  the  Christian  spirit,  and 
exasperated  by  the  malignity  of  the 
Jews  towards  the  apostle,  attacked 
Sosthenes,  as  the  principal  head  of 
the  difficulty,  and  vented  upon  him, 
in  blows,  their  indignation  at  his 
hostility.  —  Sosthenes.  It  would  seem 
that  he  succeeded  Crispus,  after  he 
was  converted  to  Christianity,  as  the 
chief  ruler  of  the  synagogue,  though 
he  afterwards  became  a  prominent 
disciple  of  Christ,  1  Cor.  i.  1,  not- 
withstanding the  abuse  which  he  at 
this  time  received,  apparently  from 
the  adherents  of  Paul.  —  Beat  him. 
By  this  word,  in  the  original,  is  to  be 
understood,  not  that  he  was  formally 
scourged  or  beaten  with  rods,  but 
that  tliey  struck  him  with  their  fists, 


as  he  passed  through  the  excited 
multitude  from  the  tribunal  of  the 
proconsul.  —  Gallio  cared  for  none 
of  those  things.  This  does  not  mean, 
as  is  often  popularly  understood,  that 
Gallio  was  indifferent  to  religion, 
Jewish  or  Christian,  for  that  question 
did  not,  as  he  understood  it,  come 
before  him  to  decide  upon  at  all ;  but 
that  he  did  not  concern  himself  and 
interpose  his  power  to  arrest  the  riot- 
ers, but  was  "willing,"  in  the  lan- 
guage of  Doddridge,  "  by  his  con- 
nivance, to  leave  so  troublesome  a 
plaintiff  as  Sosthenes  to  feel  some 
of  the  consequence  of  that  confusion 
which  his  own  bigotiy  and  ill-nature 
had  occasioned." 

1 8.  Tarned  there  yet  a  good  while. 
He  had  already  been  in  Corinth  a 
year  and  six  months,  ver.  11,  and, 
notAvithstanding  the  late  commotion, 
he  continued  to  remain  yet  longer. 
—  Sailed  thence  into  Syria,  i.  e.  to 
Antioch,  as  the  place  whence  he  had 
issued  on  this  missionary  tour.  Chap 
XV.  35,  40.  —  Priscilla  and  Aquila. 
See  ver.  2.  —  Hmnng  shorn  his  heal 
in  Cenchrea.  This  was  the  port  of 
Corinth  on  the  east,  situated  upon 
the  waters  of  the  ^gean  Sea,  from 
which  those  sailing  to  Syria  wiuld 
embark.  It  was  customary  for  the 
Jews  to  make  vows,  upon  deliverance 
from  danger,  recovery  from  sickness, 
or  unexpected  blessings,  that  they 
would  abstain  from  spirituous  drinks, 
suffer  the  hair  to  grow  during  a  cer- 
tain specified  period,  longer  or  short- 


xvni.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLKS. 


253 


19  chrea ;  for  he  had  a  vow.  And  he  came  to  Ephesus,  and  left 
them  there :  but  he  himself  entered  into  the  synagogue,  and  rea- 

20  soned  with  the  Jews.     When  they  desired  him  to  tarry  longer 

21  time  with  them,  he  consented  not :  but  bade  them  farewell,  say- 
ing, I  must  by  all  means  keep  this  feast  that  cometh  in  Jerusalem  : 
but  I  will  return  again  unto  you,  if  God  will.     And  he  sailed 

22  from  Ephesus.     And  when  he  had  landed  at  Cesarea,  and  gone 


er,  at  the  expiration  of  which,  offer- 
ings were  made,  the  head  was  shaved, 
and  the  individual  returned  to  his 
ordinary  mode  of  life.  In  the  pres- 
ent instance,  it  was  probably  the  vow 
of  the  Nazarite,  so  called.  Num. 
vi.  18.  The  important  question  here 
is,  whether  it  was  Paul  or  Aquila 
who  made  and  performed  this  vow, 
tliough  the  general  opinion  is  in  fa- 
vor of  the  latter,  particularly  as  the 
order  in  which  Priscilla  and  Aquila 
are  mentioned  is  inverted,  see  ver. 
!:2,  2G,  as  if  to  indicate  who  it  was 
that  shaved  his  head  in  Ceiichrea 
because  lie  had  a  vow,  though  in 
Rom.  xvi.  3,  and  2  Tim.  iv.  19,  they 
are  placed  in  the  same  sequence. 
Other  considerations,  however,  ap- 
pear to  weigh  on  the  other  side  with 
greater  force ;  as  that  Paul  is  the 
principal  subject  of  tho  narrative, 
and  the  mention  of  his  companions 
is  introduced  rather  by  way  of  pa- 
renthesis; and  that  we  afterwards 
read  of  his  performance  of  a  vow, 
chap.  xxi.  23,  24 ;  and  that  it  was 
agreeable  to  the  temper  of  Paul  to 
conform  to  the  Jewish  usages,  so  far 
as  Avas  innocent,  and  as  did  not  in- 
volve the  Gentiles  in  the  yoke  of 
Mosiic  bondage,  because  he  thus 
secured  a  hold  on  many  of  his  weak 
brethren,  which  he  Avould  have  lost 
by  making  a  violent  disruption  of  all 
his  old  ties.  We  may  even  suppose, 
too,  without  any  imputation  on  his 
Christian  piety,  that  his  heart  still 
clung  with  lingering  sitisfiction  to 
the  forms  in  which  he  had  been 
brought  up  from  his  youth,  and  which 
Vol.  in.  22 


were  hallowed  by  the  blessed  asso- 
ciations of  ciiildhood. 

19.  Ephesus.  Tliis  celebrated  city 
was  the  capital  of  the  region  of  Io- 
nia, and  Lydia,  or  Asia,  in  which  it 
was  situated.  It  lay  about  40  miles 
south  of  Smyrna,  and  5  from  the  sea, 
and  contained  tlie  splendid  temple 
of  Diana,  one  of  the  seven  wonders 
of  the  world.  This  splendid  edifice 
Avas  about  400  feet  long,  200  high,  and 
supported  by  127  marble  columns,  60 
feet  higli,  which  had  been  the  offer- 
int^s  of  as  many  kings,  each  one  con- 
tributing a  pillar.  It  was  not  finished 
until  220  years  after  its  commence- 
ment. It  was  burnt  by  the  torch  of 
an  incendiary,  who  sought  thus  to 
immortalize  his  name,  on  the  night 
of  the  birth  of  Alexander  the  Great ; 
but  it  was  rebuilt  in  more  than  its 
former  glory.  Yet  the  ruins  of  this 
city  are  now  with  difficulty  identi- 
fied. 

21.  1  must  by  all  means  keep  this 
feast.  See  note  on  ver.  18.  It 
would  seem  that  he  was  drawn  to 
Jerusalem  by  some  unusual  business 
at  that  time,  whether  on  account  of 
the  performance  of  a  vow  is  not  said, 
though  he  certainly  did  not  deem  it 
obligatory  on  him  to  attend  all  the 
great  festivals  at  the  holy  city.  —  If 
God  will.  Where  this  devout  pro- 
viso is  not  expressed,  it  ought  at 
least  to  be  always  understood.  James 
iv.  13-15. 

22.  Cesarea.  See  note  on  Acts 
viii.  40.  This  was  upon  the  sea- 
board of  Palestine,  about  65  miles 
ft'om  Jerusalem,  whither  he  Avent  to 


254  THE  ACTS  [Chap. 

up  and  saluted  the  church,  he  went  down  to  Antioch.     And  after  23 
he  had  spent  some  time  there,  he  departed  and  went  over  all  the 
country  of  Galatia  and  Phrygia  in  order,  strengthening  all  the 
disciples. 

And  a  certain  Jew,  named  Apollos,  born  at  Alexandria,  an  24 
eloquent  man,  and  mighty  in  the  Scriptures,  came  to  Ephesus. 
This  man  was  instructed  in  the  way  of  the  Lord  :    and  being  25 
fervent  in  the  spirit,  he  spake  and  taught  diligently  the  things 
of  the  Lord,  knowing  only  the  baptism  of  John.     And  he  began  26 
to  speak    boldly  in  the  synagogue :    Whom,  when  Aquila   and 
Priscilla  had  heard,  they  took  him  unto  them,  and  expounded 


pay  his  respects  to  his  brethren,  and 
report  his  travels  and  labors,  bright- 
ening the  chain  of  Cliristian  brother- 
hood.—  Aniioch.  In  Syria,  his  ulti- 
mate destination. 

23.  Went  over  all  the  country,  ^-c. 
He  not  only  planted,  but  watered 
what  he  had  planted.  Like  his  Mas- 
ter, he  went  about  doing  good.  His 
spirit  rises  with  the  vastness  of  iiis 
work,  and  his  zeal  kindles  to  a  high- 
er, purer  flame,  at  every  encounter 
of  opposition.  He  grasps  the  most 
distant  cities  in  his  plans  of  benevo- 
lence, flies  from  country  to  country 
to  preach  the  gospel,  and  from  youth 
to  age  strains  every  energy  and  fac- 
ulty of  his  powerful  genius,  and  uses 
every  gift  of  the  heaven-descended 
Spirit,  to  push  forward  the  Avork  of 
human  salvation.  Glorious  being ! 
upon  what  a  grand  scale  was  every 
virtue  of  the  gospel  lived  out,  and 
every  truth  of  heaven  enforced  and 
adorned ! 

24,25.  Apollos  —  Alexandria.  This 
city  in  Egypt  was  overflowing  with 
Jews,  and  it  was  not  strange  that 
the  reformation  of  John  had  pene- 
trated thus  far,  and  seized  with  a 
strong  hold  upon  the  class  of  more 
spiritual  and  aspiring  minds,  of  which 
Apollos  was  one.  See  note  on  Acts 
vi.  9.  —  Eloque7}t  man,  ami  miicMy  in 
the  Scriptures,  i.  e.  in  the  Hebrew 
Bible.      His   gifts   of  or.'.tory    were 


even  preferred,  as  would  seem,  by 
some,  to  those  of  Paul,  1  Cor.  iii.  4, 
6,  iv.  6,  from  the  unhappy  divisions 
which  afterwards  sprung  up  in  the 
cliurch  at  Corinth.  —  In  the  way  of 
the  Lord.  He  had  caught  from  the 
idea  of  John  a  glimpse  of  the  Mes- 
siah, but  was  as  yet  in  the  dark  re- 
specting his  advent;  in  short,  was 
just  in  that  state  of  preparation,  when 
he  would  hear  with  readiness  the 
further  instruction  which  even  hum- 
ble, private  disciples,  like  Aquila  and 
Priscilla,  were  able  to  impart  to  him. 
The  accession  of  such  a  laborer,  so 
able  and  so  prepared,  gifted  Avith  a 
fervid  zeal  and  a  commanding  elo- 
quence, was  truly  providential,  and 
betokened  the  still  living  and  favor- 
ing guidance  of  more  than  human 
wisdom  over  the  fortunes  of  the  in- 
fant church. —  The  baptism  of  John. 
That  is,  his  preliminary  dispensation 
and  reformation,  generalized  in  the 
prominent  ceremony  of  his  system. 

26.  Tn  the  sjjna^ogue.  He  also 
resorted  to  the  houses  of  Jewish  wor- 
ship, to  advocate  his  vicAvs.  —  The 
way  of  God  more  perfectly.  They 
would  point  out  to  him  the  advent  of 
him,  of  whom  John  the  Baptist  pro- 
fessed himself  to  be  but  the  lowly 
forerunner,  and  could  lead  him  up 
to  the  cross  of  the  Son  of  God,  and 
open  thf  precious  scroll  of  his  teach- 
ings, sufferings,  promises,  and  mira- 


XIX.] 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


•255 


27  unto  him  the  way  of  God  more  perfectly.  And  when  he  was 
disposed  to  pass  into  Achaia,  the  brethren  wrote,  exhorting  the 
disciples  to  receive  him :  who,  when  he  was  come,  helped  them 

28  much  which  had  believed  through  grace.  For  he  mightily  con- 
vinced the  Jews,  and  that  publicly,  showing  by  the  Scriptures, 
that  Jesus  was  Christ. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

The  Labors  arid  Miracles  of  Paul,  and  the  Persecution  he  encountered  at  Ephesus. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  that  while  Apollos  was  at  Corinth,  Paul, 
having  passed  through  the  upper  coasts,  came  to  Ephesus ;  and 
2  finding  certain  disciples,  he  said  unto  them.  Have  ye  received 
the  Holy  Ghost  since  ye  believed  ?  And  they  said  unto  him,  We 
have  not  so  much  as  heard  whether  there  be  any  Holy  Ghost. 


cles.  And  they  found  a  docile  pupil 
in  the  learned  and  eloquent  Apollos, 
though  fresh  from  the  schools  of 
Alexandria,  and  burning  to  propa- 
gate his  sentiments  by  travel  and 
preaching  through  different  countries 
and  cities.  A  beautiful  instance  of 
fidelity  to  truth,  and  aspiration  after 
its  purest  form,  and  of  patient  docility 
to  whoever  could  communicate  the 
priceless  gift. 

27,  28.  Disposed  to  pass,  ^'c.  He 
now  wished  more  than  ever  to  run 
on  the  errands  of  benevolence,  to 
help  a  sinful  and  suffering  world,  for 
he  felt  that  he  was  charged  with  a 
new  element  of  power,  and  that  he 
went  forth  in  a  far  mightier  name.  — 
Helped  them  much.  1  Cor.  iii.  4-6.  — 
Believed  through  grace,  i.  e.  through 
the  favor  of  God,  were  privileged  to 
hear  the  preaching  of  the  gospel, 
and  thus  were  established  in  its  be- 
lief, as  a  revelation  of  the  mercy  of 
God  to  the  sinner.  —  Was  Christ. 
«  Was  the  Christ,"  or  Messiah.  The 
earnest  convictions  of  his  own  mind, 
so  lately  opened  to  the  tmth,  lent  fer- 
vor and  persuasiveness  to  his  preach- 
ing. His  learning  in  the  Hebrew 
Scriptures  now  found  a  better  use, 
for  he  saw  with  a  new  eye  the  point- 


ing of  every  prophetic  finger  to  "  the 
glory  of  Israel"  and  "the  light  of 
the  Gentiles,"  in  the  person  of  Jesus 
the  Messiah. 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

1.  The  upper  coasts,  i.  e.  tlie  more 
mountainous  districts  of  Asia  Minor, 
lying  inland  from  the  sea,  as  Phry- 
gia  and  Galatia,  chap,  xviii.  23,  from 
which  Paul  descended  to  the  mari- 
time region  of  Ephesus.  —  Came  to 
Ephesus.  Thus  fulfilling  his  prom- 
ise of  chap,  xviii.  21.  —  Disciples. 
They  Avere  then  only  the  disciples 
of  Jolin,  —  though  afterwards  con- 
verted to  the  Christian  faith,  —  and 
were  naturally  designated  by  Luke 
by  the  title  Avhich  they  then  received, 
though  it  was  given  subsequently  to 
the  period  mentioned. 

2.  Since  ye  believed.  Or,  became 
the  disciples  of  John,  and  expectants, 
according  to  his  doctrine,  of  a  Mes- 
siah soon  to  come.  —  Whether  there 
he  any  Holy  Ghost.  Spirit.  In  the 
paraphrase  of  Wall :  "  We  have  not 
so  much  as  heard  whether  there  be 
any  such  powers  of  prophesying, 
speaking  with  tongues,  &c.,  granted 
to  those  that  believe."  And  Rosen- 
rauller  defines  the  Spirit,  as  "those 


256 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


And  he  said  unto  them,  Unto  what  then  were  ye  baptized  ?    And  3 
they  said,  Unto  John's  baptism.     Then  said  Paul,  John  verily  4 
baptized  with  the  baptism  of  repentance,  saying  unto  the  people, 
that  they  should  believe  on  him  which  should  come  after  him, 
that  is,  on  Christ  Jesus.     When  they  heard  this,  they  were  bap-  5 
tized  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus.     And  when  Paul  had  laid  6 
his  hands  upon  them,  the  Holy  Ghost  came  on  them;    and  they 
spake  with  tongues,  and  prophesied.      And   all  the  men   were  7 
about  twelve. 


miraculous  and  extraordinary  gifts 
which  were  reserved  for  the  Chris- 
tian church."  This  verse  contains  a 
direct  argument  against  the  person- 
ality of  the  Holy  Spirit,  as  constitu- 
ting the  third  person  of  the  Godhead. 
For,  if  there  had  been  this  distinct 
being,  would  Jews,  would  disciples 
of  John  the  Baptist,  acquainted  as 
they  were  with  the  true  God,  be  ig- 
norant of  his  very  existence  ?  It  is 
incredible.  A  similar  argument  is 
found  in  John  vii.  39,  when  properly 
translated,  —  "For  the  Holy  Spirit 
was  not  yet ; "  i.  e.  the  spiritual  influ- 
ence from  above  had  not  yet  de- 
scended ;  but  if,  by  the  Holy  Spirit, 
is  meant  a  person,  we  there  have  an 
assertion  that  it  was  not  yet — did 
not  exist.  Lightfoot  gives  an  old 
saying  of  the  Jews,  that,  "  after  the 
death  of  Zechariah,  Malachi,  and 
those  last  prophets,  the  Spirit  of  God 
departed  from  Israel,  and  went  up ; " 
or,  the  gifts  of  miracle  and  inspira- 
tion ceased  until  the  advent  of  the 
Messiah. 

3,  4.  Unto  John's  baptism.  The 
surprise  of  Paul  ceased  when  he 
learned  that  they  were  the  disciples 
of  John  the  Baptist,  and  had  received 
only  the  preliminary  baptism  of  re- 
pentance and  reformation,  which  he 
administered.  Chap,  xviii.  'i5.  —  That 
they  should  believe  on  him,  ^c.  His 
reasoning  was,  that  if  they  already 
believed  on  John,  they  must  go  far- 
ther, and  believe  on  Jesus,  the  Mes- 
siah, whom  he  predicted,  and  required 


his  disciples  to  follow.  Mat.  iii.  11, 
12.  —  Christ  Jesus.  More  clear  and 
emphatic  in  the  Greek,  "  the  Christ 
Jesus  ; "  though  Griesbach  cancels 
the  words  "the  Christ."  To  iden- 
tify Jesus  of  Nazareth  as  the  ex- 
pected Messiah  of  the  Jews,  was  the 
burden  of  the  apostolic  preaching. 

5.  }Fere  baptized  in  the  name,  ^c. 
They  had  been  baptized  by  John  the 
Baptist,  but  were  now  re-baptized,  by 
command  of  the  apostle,  because 
their  previous  baptism  was  not  prop- 
erly a  Christian  rite,  and  did  not  con- 
stitute an  initiation  into  the  church 
of  the  Messiah.  No  precedent,  nor 
warrant,  however,  is,  here  or  else- 
Avhere,  given  by  the  apostles  to  re- 
baptize  those  who  have  already  re- 
ceived Christian  baptism.  For  its 
validity  consists  not  in  the  mode,  or 
name,  but  in  the  spirit  in  which  it  is 
performed,  as  an  act  of  consecration, 
and  an  emblem  of  sanctiflcation ; 
and  once  performed,  it  is  ever  per- 
formed, neither  admitting  of  addition 
nor  subtraction. 

6.  Laid  his  hands  upon  thein^  as 
a  significant  gesture.  —  They  spake 
ivilh  tongues,  and  prophesied.  We 
here  have  the  explanation  given  of 
what  is  meant  by  the  Holy  Spirit  in 
this  connexion,  viz.,  spiritual  gifts, 
more  than  ordinary  powers,  the  evi- 
dences of  the  approving  sanction  of 
God.  Chap.  x.  44  -  47.  1  Cor.  xii. 
xiv.  "They  spoke  with  foreign 
tongues,  and  used  their  gift  in  tJie 
exercise   of   inspired  teaching  and 


XIX.] 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


257 


8  And  he  went  into  the  synagogue,  and  spake  boldly  for  the 
space  of  three  months,  disputing  and  persuading  the  things  con- 

9  cerning  the  kingdom  of  God.  But  when  divers  were  hardened, 
and  believed  not,  but  spake  evil  of  that  way  before  the  multitude, 
he  departed  from  them,  and  separated  the  disciples,  disputing 

10  daily  in  the  school  of  one  Tyrannus.  And  this  continued  by  the 
space  of  two  years;   so  that  all  they  which  dwelt  in  Asia  heard 

11  the  word  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  both  Jews  and  Greeks.     And  God 

12  wrought  special  miracles  by  the  hands  of  Paul :  so  that  from  his 
body  were  brought  unto  the  sick  handkerchiefs,  or  aprons,  and 
the  diseases  departed  from  them,  and  the  evil  spirits  went  out  of 


preaching."  The  order  in  which 
the  gifts  are  mentioned  has  been 
observed  to  be  the  same  as  that  in 
1  Cor.  xiv.  5. 

8.  Spake  boldly.  See  note  on 
chap.  iv.  13.  Disputing  or  dis- 
cussing, arguing.  —  Persuading  the. 
things,  ^c.  His  aim  was  to  per- 
suade his  hearers  of  the  truth  of  the 
gospel,  and  win  them  to  its  faith  and 
obedience.  —  The  kingdom  of  God. 
Equivalent  to  the  Christian  religion, 
for  where  it  prevails,  God  truly 
reigns  as  the  king,  and  his  will  is 
felt  to  be  supreme. 

9.  Of  that  way.  A  phrase  often 
used  to  describe  the  new  religion. 
Chap.  xvi.  17,  xviii.  26.  The  apos- 
tle, finding  that  his  influence  was 
undermined,  Avith  tlie  mass  of  the 
people,  by  the  malignity  of  his  en- 
emies, withdrew  from  the  sphere  of 
their  influence  to  a  place  of  Gen- 
tile resort.  Chap,  xviii.  6.  —  Daily. 
While  meeting  with  his  friends  in 
the  synagogue,  he  employed,  proba- 
bly, only  the  Sabbath  for  his  public 
addresses ;  but,  in  his  new  situation, 
his  zeal  prompts  him  to  do  what  was 
not,  perhaps,  allowable  in  the  syna- 
gogue —  address  the  people  daily  on 
his  great  inspiring  theme.  —  In  the 
school  of  one  Tyrannus,  i.  e.  in  the 
hall,  or  room,  used  by  this  person,  — 
who  was  probably  a  Greek  rheto- 
rician or  philosopher,  —  for  the  in- 

22* 


struction  of  his  pupils.  He  seems 
not  unfriendly  to  the  Christian  cause, 
and  he  may  have  been  even  an  ad- 
herent. 

10.  TTie  space  of  two  years.  The 
importance  of  Ephesus,  as  a  place 
of  vast  resort,  prolonged  his  stay ; 
though  he  might  make  excursions, 
meanwhile,  into  the  surrounding  re- 
gion, as  is  implied  by  the  next  clause. 
—  jJsia.  Of  which  Ephesus  was  the 
metropolis.  Note  on  chap.  ii.  9. — 
Both  Jews  and  Greeks.  Notwith- 
standing his  withdrawal,  in  ver.  9, 
the  apostle  still  stretched  out  im- 
ploring hands  to  "  the  lost  sheep  of 
the  house  of  Israel." 

1 J .  Special  miracles,  i.  e.  literally, 
"not  usual;"  uncommon  miracles, 
such  as  are  described  in  the  next 
verses.  Among  miracles,  some  are 
more  wonderful  than  others. 

12.  Handkerchiefs,  or  aprons.  Ac- 
cording to  their  derivation,  the  for- 
mer signifying,  in  the  original,  what 
was  used  in  wiping  off  the  perspira- 
tion ;  and  the  latter,  a  half  girdle,  or, 
as  is  rightly  rendered,  "  apron."  — 
The  evil  spirits  went  out  of  them.  In 
other  Avords,  cases  of  insanity,  epi- 
lepsy, and  lunacy,  were  cured.  It  is 
contended  by  some,  that  the  posses- 
sions must  have  been  literally  true  ; 
that  evil  and  Avicked  spirits  did  ac- 
tually enter  into  men,  and   possess 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


them. 


Then  certain  of  the  vaorabond  Jews,  exorcists,  took  13 


upon  them  to  call  over  them  which  had  evil  spirits,  the  name  of 
the  Lord  Jesus,  saying,  We   adjure  you  by  Jesus  whom   Paul 
preacheth.     And  there  were  seven  sons  of  one  Sceva  a  Jew,  and  14 
chief  of  the  priests,  which  did  so.     And  the  evil  spirit  answered  15 
and  said,  Jesus  I  know,  and  Paul  I  know;    but  who  are  ye? 


guished,  as  here,  from  other  diseases. 
They  are,  indeed,  so  distinguished 
from  others ;  but  for  the  same  reason 
that  leprosy  is  distinguished  from 
other  disorders,  Mat.  x.  8,  viz.,  on 
account  of  its  greater  severity  and 
incurableness.  We  are  not  to  infer, 
by  any  means,  that  the  handkerchiefs 
and  aprons,  carried  from  Paul,  had 
any  other  efficacy  than  as  he  willed 
tlie  cure  of  the  sick  who  were  not  in 
his  presence,  —  some  article  being 
carried  as  a  token,  to  connect  the 
agent  with  the  act,  the  miracle  with 
him  who  wrought  it.  Mat.  ix.  21, 
22 ;   Acts  V.  15. 

13.  Vagabond.  As  we  should  say, 
strolling  or  itinerant  Jews.  —  Exor- 
cists. Literally,  "those  who  bind 
with  an  oath ; "  or,  by  adjurations, 
expel  demons.  This  class  of  pre- 
tenders was  very  numerous.  They 
professed,  by  using  certain  incanta- 
tions, whose  virtue  had  been  dis- 
covered by  King  Solomon,  to  be  able 
to  expel  diseases  and  evil  spirits 
from  their  wretched  victims.  This 
quackery,  like  its  successors  of  mod- 
ern times,  gained  great  credence, 
and  was  sustained  by  multitudes  of 
patrons. —  We  adjure  yon  by  Jesus. 
Lightfoot  informs  us  that  similar  ad- 
jurations are  to  be  found  in  the  Tal- 
muds.  "One  being  sick,  a  certain 
person  came  to  him,  and  muttered 
upon  him  in  the  name  of  Jesus  of 
Pandira,  —  a  scornful  and  opprobrious 
designation  of  the  Saviour,  —  and  he 
was  healed."  "  Ben  Damah  was  bit- 
ten by  a  serpent.  James  of  Caphar- 
sam  came  to  heal  him  in  the  name 
of  Jesus,  but  Rabbi  Ismael  permitted 


him  not."  Seeing  the  wonders  of 
Paul's  powder,  they  idly  supposed  that, 
by  employing  the  same  name,  they 
could  do  the  like.  They  regarded 
him  but  as  a  mere  adventurer,  like 
themselves,  whom  fortune  had  fa- 
vored by  granting  him  a  magic  name 
of  great  efficacy.  Mat.  xii.  27. — 
fVhom  Paul  preacheth.  The  indica- 
tion of  a  pitiful  imitation  of  the  apos- 
tle's power.  They  mention  the  name 
particularly,  that  there  might  be  no 
mistake ;  but  they  find  it  to  be  more 
powerful  against  themselves  than 
against  the  disease. 

14.  Sceva.  Nothing  further  is 
known  of  this  individual.  —  Chief  of 
the  priests,  i.  e.  a  chief-priest,  one  of 
the  most  eminent  in  the  sacerdotal 
order ;  the  head,  perhaps,  of  one  of 
the  courses  of  priests.     Luke  i.  5. 

15.  The  evil  spirit,  i.  e.  tlie  man 
who  thought  himself  possessed  by 
an  evil  spirit  —  Jesus  I  know,  and 
Paid  I  know.  For  the  apostle  had 
preached  in  Ephesus  a  long  time, 
and  would  be  easily  known,  especial- 
ly on  account  of  the  celebrity  of  his 
miracles.  Chap.  xvi.  17  ;  Mark  i.  24, 
34.  It  has  been  obsei-ved  by  the 
commentators,  that  the  question  of 
the  demoniac  is  not  that  of  igno- 
rance, but  partly  of  reproach  toAvards 
those  who  cannot  make  good  their 
professions ;  and,  partly,  of  contempt 
toward  those,  who  neither  consider 
the  strength  of  their  enemy,  nor  their 
own  ;  but  who,  actuated  by  a  certain 
foolhardiness,  dare  to  contend  with 
the  stronger,  in  whose  hand  the  mas- 
tery is  but  matter  of  sports  ♦ 


XIX.] 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


tm 


16  And  the  man  in  whom  the  evil  spirit  was,  leaped  on  them,  and 
overcame  them,  and  prevailed  against  them,  so  that  they  fled  out 

17  of  that  house  naked  and  wounded.     And  this  was  known  to  all 
the  Jews  and  Greeks  also  dwelling  at  Ephesus  :    and  fear  fell  on 

18  them  all,  and  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  was  magnified.     And 
many  that  believed  came,  and  confessed,  and  showed  their  deeds. 

19  Many  also  of  them  which  used  curious  arts,  brought  their  books 


16.  Leaped.  A  word,  used  in 
Greek,  to  describe  wild  animals 
springing  upon  their  prey.  —  JVaked, 
i.  e.  with  garments  torn  and  nearly 
rent  off.  Ripley,  in  his  Notes,  re- 
marks, tliat  "  the  violent  conduct  of 
the  demoniac,  here  mentioned,  shows 
that  he  was  in  a  state  of  insanity." 
In  fact,  the  whole  description  of  the 
case  shows  that  he  was  a  maniac  ; 
his  furious  indignation  at  being,  as 
he  thought,  imposed  upon  by  the  ex- 
orcists, and  his  preternatural  strength, 
with  wliich  he  rushed  upon  tliem, 
and  inflicted  desperate  blows,  and 
tore  off  their  garments,  betoken,  with- 
out doubt,  a  frantic  madman.  In  the 
language  of  Farmer,  "  The  demoniac 
fancied  himself  to  be  a  demon,  or 
possessed  by  one,  and  his  indigna- 
tion and  rage  (accelerating  the  mo- 
tion of  his  blood  and  spirits)  sup- 
plied him  with  new  strength,  and  he 
assaulted  and  vanquished  the  exor- 
cists, who  were  not  prepared  to  make 
a  defence,  and  were  disgraced  and 
dispirited  by  the  public  detection  of 
their  imposture." 

17.  Fear  fell  on  all,  ^r.  « The 
disappointment  and  disgi-ace  of  these 
magicians  served  to  vindicate  the 
credit  of  St.  Paul's  miracles  ;  to  cre- 
ate a  high  reverence  of  Jesus,  in 
confirmation  of  whose  divine  author- 
ity they  were  performed,  and  to  de- 
ter (.thers  from  profaning  his  sacred 
name,  by  using  it  only  as  a  charm. 
The  occurrence  seems  to  have  been 
providentially  designed  to  bring  dis- 
grace upon  the  Jewish  exorcists,  and 
thereby  to  answer  the  purposes  men- 
tioned above." 


18.  Confessed,  and  shoived  their 
deeds.  Or,  practices.  Those  who  were 
converted  to  the  Christian  faith  con- 
fessed their  sins  in  general,  and  also, 
as  it  would  seem,  confessed  the  par- 
ticular iniquity  of  dealing  in  these 
magical  arts,  and  imposing  upon  the 
credulity  and  superstition  of  their 
fellow-men.  The  late  events  had 
stirred  tlieir  consciences,  and  struck 
a  deeper  chord  of  moral  accountable- 
ness  for  their  actions  ;  and,  like  true 
men  and  true  Christians,  they  frank- 
ly made  confession  and  acknowledg- 
ment of  their  misdeeds.  Prov.  xxviii. 
13 ;  Rom.  x.  10.  It  is  doing  much 
to  confess  one's  offences,  and  it  is 
a  necessary  step  in  repentance  and 
amendment.  The  mind  of  the  wrong- 
doer cannot  he  at  peace  while  he 
cloaks  his  iniquity,  for  he  carries  in 
his  bosom  a  secret  too  big  to  be  hid- 
den, and  he  feels  relieved  as  soon  as 
he  has  unburdened  his  heavy  heart 
before  the  merciful  Father.  Thus 
the  offending  child  makes  confession 
to  his  parent,  though  it  exposes  him 
to  pujiishment,  because  he  cannot 
bear  the  weight  of  a  hidden  sin. 
Thus,  too,  the  murderer  prefers,  at 
last,  even  death  to  the  agonizing 
concealment  of  his  guilt.  For  strong 
is  our  moral  nature,  even  in  its  ob- 
liquities ;  and,  as  the  bent  bow  is 
ever  striving  to  resume  its  natural 
position,  so  does  conscience  contin- 
ually press  to  gain  its  upright  pos- 
ture, and  never  quite  loses  its  elas- 
ticity, even  after  the  most  dreadful 
perversions. 

19.  Curious  arts.  We  here  have 
an  account  of  a  part  of  that  men- 


230  THE  ACTS  [Chap. 

together,  and  burned  them  before  all  men ;  and  they  counted  the 


Btrous  system  of  idolatry  which 
flourished  in  the  midst  of  the  most 
refined  and  learned  cities  of  the 
heathen  world.  The  Ephesians  were 
notorious  for  the  practice  of  these 
magical  arts;  and  tlie  books,  or 
scrolls,  on  which  the  cabalistic  words, 
charms,  and  incantations,  were  in- 
scribed, obtained  great  celebrity  un- 
der the  name  of  the  Ephesian  letters. 
Tiie  occult  characters  were  worn 
about  their  persons,  and  even  stained 
upon  their  bodies,  as  charms,  or  am- 
ulets, to  protect  them  against  evil,  to 
prosper  them  in  their  journeys,  and 
defend  them  in  war.  This  system 
of  magic  prevailed  under  the  aus- 
pices of  that  mythology  which  was 
to  fall  before  the  advancement  of 
the  gospel.  It  was  in  the  city 
where  Diana  was  worshipped  with 
such  magnificence,  that  "the  black 
art"  of  the  conjurer  and  soothsayer 
wielded  a  prodigious  influence  ;  and 
the  prices  of  the  books  alone,  used 
by  these  deceivers,  were  reckoned 
by  thousands  in  gold  and  silver.  In 
proclaiming  the  worship  of  the  true 
God,  and  salvation  through  Christ, 
the  apostle  was,  therefore,  removing 
the  very  corner-stone  of  that  system 
of  abominations.  —  Burned  them  be- 
fore all.  They  showed  their  faith 
by  their  works  ;  and  not  only  repent- 
ed of  their  sins,  and  made  confession 
thereof,  but  they  offered  the  only 
reparation  they  could,  by  reducing 
to  ashes  tlie  implements  of  their  un- 
hallowed trade.  By  tliese  books,  we 
are  to  understand  the  scrolls  which 
contained  tlie  potent  words  and  in- 
cantations of  sorcery  and  astrology  ; 
and  which  are  mentioned  in  many 
ancient  authors,  as,  Suidas,  He- 
Bychius,  Clement  of  Alexandria,  and 
Plutarch.  —  Found  it  fjly  thousand 
pieces  of  silver.  As  it  is  uncertain 
what  the  value  of  the  "  piece  of  sil- 
ver," here  used,  was,  it  can  now  be 


only  matter  of  conjecture  what  the 
total  loss  amounted  to;  but  it  has 
been  variously  reckoned,  —  some  un- 
derstanding the  denomination  of 
money  to  be  the  drachm,  or  denanus, 
when  the  sum  would  be  about  seven 
thousand  dollars ;  others,  that  it  was 
the  Jewish  shekel,  when  the  Avhole 
would  SAvell  to  the  amount  of  twenty- 
eight  thousand  dollars,  which,  as 
some  compute  the  relative  prices  of 
labor  in  our  day,  and  also  the  Avorth 
of  the  precious  metals,  would  be 
more  than  sixty  thousand  dollars  in 
our  currency.  No  severer  criterion 
of  the  faith  and  self-sacrifice  of  the 
Ephesian  disciples  could  have  been 
given,  than  the  destruction  of  so 
much  property  for  conscience  and 
Christ's  sake.  The  love  of  money 
is  so  powerful  a  motive  of  con- 
duct, that  what  drives  it  out  must 
possess  no  common  strength.  A 
selfish  prudence  might  have  sug- 
gested also,  with  Judas,  "  To  what 
purpose  is  all  this  waste  ? "  These 
books  might  have  been  sold  for 
rnuch,  and  given  to  the  poor.  (See 
Pierpont's  cogent  sermon,  entitled 
the  "  Ephesian  Letters.")  But  they 
knew  and  suffered  no  compromise 
with  duty.  They  committed  the 
whole  to  the  flames,  because,  if  in- 
struments of  magic  Avere  pernicious 
to  them.,  they  Avere  pernicious  to 
others,  to  all,  and  their  only  proper 
end  Avas  destruction.  They  would 
not  sell  to  another  what  Avas  only 
evil  to  themselves,  and  thus  become 
accessory  to  others'  sins.  They  free- 
ly devote  their  property  to  God  ;  and 
surely  no  incense  from  smoking  hec- 
atombs, or  spicy  altars,  ever  ascended 
to  heaven,  a  sweeter  offering,  than 
the  flames  which  consumed  the  books 
of  fraud  and  sin,  "  the  mammon  of 
unrighteousness."  Here  is  a  lesson, 
for  our  day  also,  to  study  and  prac- 
tise.   "  The  universal  prevalence  of 


XIX.] 


OF   THE   APOSTLES. 


261 


20  price  of  them,  and  found  it  fifty  thousand  pitcts  of  silver.  So 
mightily  grew  the  word  of  God,  and  prevailed. 

21  After  these  things  were  ended,  Paul  purposed  in  the  spirit, 
when  he  had  passed  through  Macedonia,  and  Achaia,  to  go  to 
Jerusalem,   saying,   After  I  have   been  there,  I  must  also  see 

22  Rome.  So  he  sent  into  Macedonia  two  of  them  that  ministered 
unto  him,  Timotheus  and  Erastus ;    but  he  himself  staid  in  Asia 

23  for  a  season. And  the  same  time  there  arose  no  small  stir 

24  about  that  way.  For  a  certain  man  named  Demetrius,  a  silver- 
smith, which  made  silver  shrines  for  Diana,  brought  no  small 


Christianity  would  make  much,  that 
is  now  esteemed  valuable  property, 
utterly  worthless." 

20.  So  mightily  greio  the  ivord. 
Nothing  could  better  demonstrate 
the  deep  and  living  hold  which  the 
gospel  had  gained  over  the  con- 
sciences and  hearts  of  its  believers, 
than  these  cheerful  sacrifices  in  its 
behalf.  And,  in  later  ages,  nothing 
has  furnished  better  proof  of  the  real 
predominance  of  Christianity,  than 
the  ready  destruction  of  property  de- 
voted to  bad  uses,  rather  than  permit 
it  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  others,  and 
continue  to  work  indefinite  ill.  The 
slave-trade,  and  slavery ;  the  sale  of 
noxious  books,  and  bad  goods ;  the 
traffic  in  spirituous  liquors  as  a  bev- 
erage ;  and  other  cases,  which  will 
readily  occur  to  the  mind  of  the 
reader,  afford  spheres  for  a  similar 
sacrifice,  and  a  like  reward. 

21,  22.  Purposed  in  the  spirit,  i.  e. 
in  his  own  mind.  —  When  he  had 
passed  through  Macedonia,  Sfc.  The 
same  wish,  as  remarked  by  Paley,  is 
expressed  in  Rom.  i.  13,  xv.  2-3,  24, 
which  was  written  long  after  this 
time,  and  when  he  had  accomplished 
so  much  of  his  plan  as  related  to 
Macedonia  and  Achaia,  and  had  only 
the  journey  to  Jerusalem  left  unfin- 
ished, —  though,  in  the  epistle,  there 
is  also  the  addition  of  Spain  to  his 
tour.     Thu^  both  the   coincidence 


and  the  difference  betoken  veracity 
and  independence  in  the  authors  of 
the  respective  books.  —  Rome.  As 
the  existing  metropolis  of  the  world, 
it  was  a  most  im.portant  city  for  the 
apostle  to  the  Gentiles  to  visit. — 
Sent  into  Macedonia  two, —  Timotheus 
and  Erastus.  He,  probably,  also  de- 
signed they  should  go  into  Achaia 
and  Corinth,  after  visiting  Macedo- 
donia,  for  he  purposed  going  there 
himself,  ver.  21 ;  and,  in  1  Cor.  iv.  17- 
19,  he  mentions  having  sent  Timothy 
to  that  church.  Erastus  was  cham- 
berlain, or  treasurer,  of  Corinth,  as 
we  learn  from  Rom.  xvi.  23.  See, 
also,  2  Tim.  iv.  20.  —  In  Asia,  i.  e. 
at  its  capital,  Ephesus. 

23,  24.  About  that  way,  i.  e.  con- 
cerning the  religion  of  Christ.  —  »S'i7- 
ver  shrines  for  Diana.  These  were, 
probably,  small  portable  models  in 
silver  of  the  splendid  temple  of  Di- 
ana, described  before,  which  were 
manufactured  by  Demetrius  and  oth- 
ers, and  sold  in  great  numbers  to  the 
numerous  worshippers  of  the  goddess 
from  every  part  of  the  world.  Ver.  27. 
The  word,  in  the  original,  is  "  tem- 
ples,"—  silver  temples  for  Diana,  i.  e. 
temples  in  miniature.  It  was  custom- 
ary for  the  heathen  to  carry  about 
with  them  sacred  images,  as  charms, 
and  also  to  place  in  their  houses 
statues  and  shrines  of  their  gods  and 
goddesses.     Diana  was  one  of  tlie 


THE   ACTS 


[Cij. 


gain  unto  the  craftsmen ;    whom   he  called   together   with  the  25 
workmen  of  like   occupation,  and   said,  Sirs,  ye  know  »hat  by 
this  craft  we  have  our  wealth :   moreover,  ye  see  and  hear,  that  26 
not  alone  at  Ephesus,  but  almost  throughout  all  Asia,  this  Paul 
hath  persuaded  and  turned  away  much  people,  saying,  That  they 
be  no  gods  which  are  made  with  hands.     So  that  not  only  this  27 
our  craft  is  in  danger  to  be  set  at  nought;  but  also  that  the  temple 
of  the  great  goddess  Diana  should  be  despised,  and  her  magnifi- 
cence should  be  destroyed,  whom  all  Asia,  and  the  world  wor- 


twelve  superior  divinities,  of  which 
the  Roman  poet  Ennius  gave  a  list, 
in  tlie  following  couplet :  — 

"  Juno,  Vesta,  Minerva,  Ceres,  Diana,  Venus, 
Mars, 
MercuriuR,  Jovia,  Neptunus,  Vulcanus,    A- 
pollo." 

She  was  adored  as  Luna,  or  the 
Moon,  in  heaven ;  Diana,  on  the 
earth;  and  Hecate,  or  Proserpine, 
in  Hades.  She  was  the  goddess  of 
hunting,  of  travelling,  of  chastity,  of 
childbirth,  of  enchantment,  &.c. ;  and 
was  worshipped  in  different  coun- 
tries under  different  names,  and  dif- 
ferent qualities  were  ascribed  to  her. 
But,  at  Ephesus,  she  was  represented 
with  a  great  number  of  breasts,  and 
regarded  as  Nature,  the  mother  of 
mankind.  Thus,  one  of  the  inscrip- 
tions on  an  image  of  Diana  was, 
"  Nature,  full  of  varied  creatures, 
and  mother  of  all  things." 

25.  Whom  he  called  together,  S{c. 
He  called  a  general  meeting,  not 
only  of  his  own  workmen,  but  of  all 
belonging  to  the  same  trade,  who 
had  a  common  interest  at  stake,  in 
the  perpetuity  of  heathen  worship, 
as  the  source  of  their  business  and 
livelihood.  —  Craji,  i.  e.  trade,  or 
calling. 

26.  This  Paul  hath  persuaded,  S^c. 
A  trustworthy  testimony,  from  an  en- 
emy, to  the  industry  and  zeal  of  the 
apostle  to  the  Gentiles,  and  the  suc- 
cess with  which  he  had  urged  for- 
ward the  Christian  cause,  far  and 
wide,  in  that  region.    Ver.  10.    In- 


deed, the  power  and  extensive  in- 
fluence of  his  preaching  m.ay  be 
measured  by  the  tremendous  recoil 
of  persecution  against  him,  and  the 
tempest  of  excitement  into  which 
the  -svhole  city  was  thrown.  —  That 
they  be  no  gods,  SjC.  Comp.  chap, 
xiv.  15,  xvii.  29. 

27.  Our  craft  is  in  danger  to  he 
set  at  nought.  This  was  the  first, 
and  doubtless  the  chief,  reason  why 
he  dreaded  the  success  of  Paul,  and 
wished  to  excite  a  popular  tumult 
against  him.  He  was  alarmed  lest 
his  lucrative  business  would  decline, 
and  the  demand  for  silver  shrines 
cease,  on  account  of  the  prevalence 
of  just  ideas  of  God,  and  a  true  and 
spiritual  worship.  Demetrius  is  the 
representative  of  a  large  class,  in  ev- 
ery age,  who  are  afraid,  if  religion, 
and  temperance,  and  freedom,  and 
purity,  and  righteousness,  in  all  re- 
spects, prevail,  that  their  unright- 
eous gains  will  diminish;  and  who, 
therefore,  uphold  existing  abuses  and 
wrongs  with  the  energy  of  tliat  pas- 
sion which  an  apostle,  with  scarce 
a  figure  of  speech,  called  "  the  root 
of  all  evil."  Chap.  xvi.  16.— The 
temple  of  the  great  goddess  Diana 
should  he  despised.  This  was  the 
second  objection  of  the  silversmith 
to  Paul  and  the  gospel ;  and  we 
may  suppose,  also,  the  inferior  one 
of  the  two.  After  he  had  looked 
well  to  his  owm  interest,  he  could 
then  afford  to  be  jealous  for  the 
honor  of  Diana,  and  the  magnificent 


XIX.] 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


263 


28  shippeth. 


And  when  they  heard  these  sayings^  they  were  full 


of  wrath,  and  cried  out,  saying,  Great  ^5  Diana  of  the  Ephesians. 

29  And  the  whole  city  was  filled  with  confusion  :  and  having  caught 
Gaius  and  Aristarchus,  men  of  Macedonia,  Paul's  companions  in 

30  travel,  they  rushed  with  one  accord  into  the  theatre.     And  when 
Paul  would  have  entered  in  unto  the  people,  the  disciples  suf- 

31  fered  him  not.     And  certain  of  the  chief  of  Asia,  which  were 
his  friends,  sent  unto  him  desiring  him  that  he  would  not  adven- 


worship  of  her  temple.  This  pre- 
tended interest  for  religion  would, 
of  course,  call  forth  a  strong  response 
from  the  multitude,  who  were,  at 
least,  sincere  in  their  superstition, 
and  who  felt  their  religious  impulses 
aroused  to  take  sides  against  Paul, 
if  he  was  chargeable  Avith  trespass- 
ingr  upon  the  ancient  faith.  —  Ml 
Asia,  and  the  world.  Diana  was  not 
merely  a  local  or  national  deity,  but 
Greeks  and  Romans,  from  every 
quarter,  contributed  to  the  splendor 
of  her  temple  and  worship. 

28.  They  became  deeply  excited 
by  this  mingled  appeal  to  their  cu- 
pidity and  their  superstition,  —  two 
of  the  strongest  passions  of  human 
nature,  when  in  a  rude  and  uncul- 
tivated state.  The  only  proper  mode, 
which  suggested  itself  to  them,  to 
express  their  devotion  and  their  an- 
ger unitedly,  was  to  vociferate  the 
name  of  their  goddess.  Xenophon 
coiToborates  the  epithet  here  be- 
stowed upon  their  divinity,  when  he 
says,  "T  adjure  you  by  your  own 
goddess,  the  great  Diana  of  the 
Ephesians." 

'29.  Gaius.  This  individual  was 
a  convert  and  host  of  Paul,  and  was 
baptiz -d  by  him.  Rom.  xvi.  23;  1 
Cor.  i.  14.  —  Aristarchus.  See  Col. 
iv.  10.  The  object  of  the  populace 
in  seizing  these  men  was  probably  to 
try  them  in  a  public  assembly,  and 
put  them  to  death.  —  The  theatre. 
Thi-;  wj,s  not  only  the  amphitheatre 
f)r  drirnitic  specticlas  and  games, 
but  was  Vilso  tlie  gathering-place  of 


the  people  to  hold  assemblies, .  hear 
harangues,  and  judge  cases.  These 
edifices  were  of  immense  size,  and 
would  hold  many  thousands.  They 
were  without  roofs,  and  the  seats 
gradually  sloped  up  from  the  centre, 
on  every  side,  so  that  those  on  the 
back  were  raised  very  high. 

30.  Paul  would  have  entered  in. 
To  make  his  defence,  and  rescue  his 
beloved  companions.  But  such  was 
the  rage  of  the  people,  that  his  friends 
interposed  to  prevent  his  thus  hazard- 
ing his  life. 

31.  The  chief  of  Asia.  Persons 
were  appointed,  under  the  Roman 
government  in  the  East,  by  annual 
election,  to  preside  over  the  public 
worship  of  the  gods,  and  to  furnish, 
at  their  own  expense,  — for  the  rich 
only  were  chosen,  —  games  and  the- 
atrical entertainments  for  the  people. 
This  office  in  the  provinces  resem- 
bled that  of  fediles  at  Rome.  They 
were  called  after  the  country  where 
they  lived,  as,  Syriarchs  from  Syria ; 
Cariarchs  from  Caria;  Lyciarchs  from 
Lycia ;  and  those  in  the  present 
verse  were  styled  Asiarchs,  or  the 
rulers  of  Asia.  Their  number  con- 
sisted of  ten,  chosen  by  the  different 
cities  of  the  province,  and  the  ap- 
pointments were  confirmed  by  the  Ro- 
man governor,  or  proconsul.  There 
was  one  at  the  head  of  the  commis- 
sion, who  resided  at  Ephesus,  and 
who  advised  with  his  colleagues. 
Such  is  the  account  generally  given 
of  these  officers  by  critics  and  histo- 
rians.    They  were,  in   the   present 


i>64 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


ture  himself  into  the  theatre.     Some  therefore  cried  one  thing,  32 
and  some  another :  for  the  assembly  was  confused,  and  the  more 
part  knew  not  wherefore  they  were  come  together.     And  they  33 
drew  Alexander  out  of  the  multitude,  the  Jews  putting  him  for- 
ward.     And   Alexander  beckoned   with  the   hand,   and  would 
have  made  his  defence  unto  the  people.     But  when  they  knew  34 
that  he  was  a  Jew,  all  with  one  voice  about  the  space  of  two 

hours    cried   out,   Great  is   Diana  of  the    Ephesians, And  35 

when  the  town-clerk  had  appeased  the  people,  he  said,  Ye  men 
of  Ephesus,  what  man  is  there  that  knoweth  not  how  that  the 
city  of  the  Ephesians  is  a  worshipper  of  the  great  goddess  Diana, 


case,  friendly  to  the  apostle,  but  not, 
as  it  would  appear,  converts  to  his 
doctrine.  They  join  with  the  disci- 
ples in  restraining  him  from  the  the- 
atre, at  which,  it  has  been  supposed, 
they  were  then  solemnizing  games. 
2  Cor.  i.  3  - 10,  is  thought  to  express 
his  thankfulness  at  being  delivered 
from  the  imminent  danger,  which 
occurred  at  tliis  time,  from  the  Ephe- 
sian  populace.     1  Cor.  xv.  32. 

32.  This  verse  contains  a  graphic 
description  of  a  mob,  —  some  shout- 
ing one  tiling,  and  some  another, 
confusion  presiding,  and  most  not 
even  knowing  why  they  were  as- 
sembled, but  having  been  borne 
away  by  a  popular  sympathy. 

33.  Brew  Alexander  out.  Or, 
caused  him  to  advance  out  of  the 
crowd.  This  individual  is  perhaps 
referred  to  in  1  Tim.  i.  20,  and  2  Tim. 
iv.  14,  as  hostile  to  Paul  and  the 
cause  of  truth.  It  is  observable  tliat 
he  was  of  a  similar  trade  as  Deme- 
trius, —  being  a  worker  in  the  metals, 
—  and  probably,  tlierefore,  regarded 
as  peculiarly  adapted  to  quiet  the  tu- 
mult among  that  class  of  people.  — 
Beckoned  ivith  the  Jutnd.  In  order  to 
silence  the  uproar,  and  gain  a  hear- 
ing.—  Made  his  defence.  Better, 
"  apologized  unto  the  people."  This 
object,  as  he  was  a  Jew,  apparently 
was  to  show  the  distinction  between 
the  Jews  and  the  Christians,  and  t ) 


attach  the  odium  of  the  people  wholly 
to  tlie  latter,  and  exonerate  his  breth- 
ren from  any  partnership  with  Paul. 
For,  since  the  Christian  cause 
emerged  from  the  bosom  of  Juda- 
ism, the  Ephesians,  and  Gentiles 
generally,  making  no  very  nice 
distinctions,  confounded  both  in  one. 
Chap.  xvi.  20. 

34.  Knew  that  he  tvas  a  Jew.  As 
Jev.'s  and  Christians  were  all  one  to 
them,  and  they  supposed  Alexander 
to  be  an  apologist  for  Paul,  they  pre- 
vented his  being  heard  by  their  deaf- 
ening vociferations.  —  T/je  space  of 
two  how's.  Either  because  he  re- 
peatedly attempted  to  speak,  or  be- 
cause it  was  a  heathen  custom  to 
honor  their  divinities  by  long-con- 
tinued cries.  1  Kings  xviii.  26-28. 
These  "vain  repetitions"  have 
been,  in  every  age,  an  accompani- 
ment of  heatlien  rites. 

35.  The  toivn-clerk.  Modern 
readers  are  liable  to  get  a  wrong 
impression  from  this  term,  and  to 
invest  it  with  present  associations. 
According  to  the  functions  Avhich 
this  officer  is  represented  as  dischar- 
ging, he  might  be  variously  consid- 
ered as  a  recorder,  chancellor,  or  sec- 
retary of  state ;  but  no  single  term 
in  our  language  can  perfectly  repre- 
sent the  office.  He  was  evidently  a 
mao-istrate  of  high  dignity  and  au- 
thority. —  A  loorshipper.     Tlxe  word, 


XIX.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


265 


.36  and  of  the  image  which  fell  down  from  Jupiter?  Seeing  then 
that  these  things  cannot  be  spoken  against,  ye  ought  to  be  quiet, 

37  and  to  do  nothing  rashly.  For  ye  have  brought  hither  these  men, 
which  are  neither  robbers  of  churches,  nor  yet  blasphemers  of 

38  your  goddess.  Wherefore,  if  Demetrius,  and  the  craftsmen 
which  are  with  him,  have  a  matter  against  any  man,  the  law  is 
open,  and  there  are  deputies :    let  them  implead   one  another. 

39  But  if  ye  inquire  any  thing  concerning  other  matters,  it  shall  be 


in  the  original,  is  an  honorary  title, 
applied  to  cities  which  were  devoted 
to  the  worship  of  particular  deities ; 
thus,  Ephesus  was  the  worshipper,  or 
devotee,  of  Diana,  as  if  the  whole 
city  was  but  one  in  that  respect. 
The  word  is  found  in  inscriptions, 
and  upon  ancient  coins,  both  of 
Ephesus  and  other  places.  —  The 
image  ivhich  fell  down  from  Jupiter. 
The  original  image  of  Diana  was  a 
small  statue  of  the  goddess,  made  of 
elm  or  ebony,  with  many  breasts,  and 
carved  by  a  sculptor  called  Canitias, 
and  fable  represented  it  as  having 
fallen  from  heaven.  The  same  le- 
gend was  reported  respecting  the 
Palladium^  or  image  of  Minerva,  at 
Troy ;  the  Ancilia^  or  shields,  of  Mars, 
at  Rome ;  the  black  stone,  in  the 
Caabah  at  Mecca,  and  also  one  in 
the  Temple  of  the  Sun  at  Baalbec. 
In  some  instances,  these  objects 
may  have  literally  fallen  from  heaven 
in  the  form  of  meteoric  stones,  which 
have  been  known  to  descend  from 
the  skies,  in  all  ages,  in  various  parts 
of  the  world. 

36,  37.  These  things  cannot  be 
spoken  against,  i.  e.  the  facts  he  had 
stated  could  not  be  gainsaid ;  and 
they  were  not  to  be  so  faithless  as 
to  suppose  that  a  handful  of  Jews 
could  overthrow  the  magnificent  wor- 
ship of  their  goddess.  —  To  be  quiet, 
^c.  They  Avere  to  proceed  with  the 
assured  confidence  of  strength,  and 
to  break  out  in  no  idle  tumults,  as  if 
weak  and  distrustful  of  the  goodness 
of  their  cause.  As  a  further  argu- 
voL.  III.  23 


ment  to  calm  their  passions,  he  re- 
minds them  that  there  was  nothing 
better  than  suspicion  lying  against 
the  characters  of  these  men.  —  Rob- 
bers  of  churches.  For  it  could  not  be 
proved  that  they  were  sacrilegious 
persons,  or  had  committed  desecra- 
tion upon  the  temple  and  holy  things. 

—  JVbr  yet  blasphemers,  ^c.  Nor  had 
the  apostle  and  his  associates  heaped 
opprobrium  and  abuse  upon  the  Ephe- 
sian  divinity  or  her  holy  ceremonies. 
Though  it  was  the  aim  of  the  gospel 
to  uproot  idolatry,  with  all  its  abomi- 
nations, yet  it  uttered  no  blasphemies 
or  maledictions,  but  reproved,  with 
truth  and  pity,  the  deluded  victims  of 
superstition  and  sin.  Probably  here, 
as  at  Athens,  Paul  had  avoided  giv- 
ing unnecessary  offence,  or  casting 
abuse  upon  Avhat  many  held  sacred. 

38.  Have  a  matter.   Or,  accusation. 

—  The  law  is  open.  Or,  rather,  ac- 
cording to  the  Greek,  "There  are 
court  days,"  on  which  causes  might 
be  tried.  —  There  are  deputies,  i.  e. 
proconsuls,  or  judges,  under  whose 
jurisdiction  trials  might  be  held. — 
Let  them  implead  one  another,  i.  e.  let 
them  argue  the  case  one  against  the 
other,  and  justice  should  be  done. 

39.  If  ye  inquire  any  thing,  8^c. 
But  if  it  Avere  a  different  matter,  not 
coming  under  the  jurisdiction  of 
courts,  then  let  there  be  a  popular 
assemialy  convened  in  a  lawful  man- 
ner, and  properly  constituted  and 
organized  for  the  despatch  of  such 
business.  Such  assemblies  were 
held  in  the  district  to  Avhich  Ephesus 


266 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


determined  in  a  lawful  assei^bly.     For  we  are  in  danger  to  be  40 
called  in  question  for  this  day's  uproar,  there  being  no  cause 
whereby  we  may  give  an  account  of  this  concourse.     And  when  41 
he  had  thus  spoken,  he  dismissed  the  assembly. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Paul  passes  Virough  Greece,  Macedonia,  and  Troas,  and  delivers  his  Farewell 
Discourse  to  the  Elders  of  Ephesm  at  MUettis. 

And  after  the  uproar  was  ceased,  Paul  called  unto  him  the 
disciples,  and  embraced  them,  and  departed  for  to  go  into  Mace- 
donia.    And  when  he  had  gone  over  those  parts,  and  had  given  2 


belonged,  which  are  mentioned  in 
ancient  history.  —  In  a  lawful  as- 
sembly. Rather,  as  the  Greek,  "In 
the  regular  assembly," — for  there 
was  one  statedly  held. 

40.  Jn  danger  to  be  called  in  ques- 
tion, S{C.  By  their  disorderly  and 
riotous  conduct,  they  had  incurred 
the  hazard  of  being  arraigned  as  dis- 
turbers of  the  public  peace,  —  a  most 
heinous  crime  in  the  eyes  of  Rome ; 
for  it  was  her  settled  policy  to  main- 
tain the  most  despotic  and  quiet  sway 
over  her  dependent  provinces;  and 
she  watched  with  jealous  care  the 
least  outbreak    among  the    people, 

Test  they  might  discover  their  own 
strength,  and  throw  off  tlie  yoke  of 
bondage.  There  was  a  Roman  law, 
• — "Let  him  that  raises  a  mob  be 
punished  with  .death." 

41.  He  dismissed  the  assembly. 
The  Greek  signifies  an  assembly, 
whether  good  or  bad;  but  it  is  the 
same  term  which  is  often  translated 
elsewhere,  "  church."  The  remarks 
of  the  magistrate  were  judicious,  and 
their  success  complete.  The  tem- 
pest lulled,  and  there  was  a  calm. 

The  obstacles  against  which  the 
gospel  had  to  contend,  upon  its  fiYst 
introduction  into  the  Gentile  world, 
were  neither  few  nor  small.  There 
was  the  rooted  prejudice  of  ages 
agai-nst  the  Jews,  with  whom  the 
Christian    cause    was    confounded. 


There  were  the  pageantry  and  an- 
tiquity of  idol- worship,  —  glittering 
temples,  beautiful  statues  and  paint- 
ings, magnificent  and  imposing  cer- 
emonies, and  an  interested  priest-, 
hood.  There  were  the  bloody  games, 
and  licentious  indulgences,  which 
at  once  enervated  and  brutalized. 
There  were  the  arts  of  superstition, 
and  the  wonders  of  magic,  to  deceive 
the  simple  and  beguile  the  ignorant. 
There  were  philosophers  that  scorned, 
and  rulers  th^t  hated,  the  apostles  of 
the  Lord.  There  were  the  populace 
to  commit  violence,  and  the  powerful 
to  commit  wrong,  against  the  men 
whom  both  parties  abhorred  as  dis- 
turbers of  tlie  peace.  But  the  gos- 
pel, despite  all,  gently,  mightily, 
irresistibly,  held  on  its  course ;  and 
we  live  to  see  it,  after  so  many  cen- 
turies, no  longer  the  scorn  of  the 
learned,  or  the  victim  of  power,  but 
riding  upon  the  high  places  of  the 
earth,  and  still  going  on,  "  conquer- 
ing and  to  conquer ; "  carrying  light 
and  life  to  new  nations,  and  spread- 
ing more  widely,  over  the  cold,  dark 
eartli,  its  warm,  heavenly  sunshine. 

CHAPTER  XX.  ' 
],  2.  Macedonia.  1  Tim.  i.  3. 
Paul  pursues  the  course  which  he 
had  before  marked  out.  Chap.  xix. 
2L  But  he  wa.s  probably  hurried 
away  earlier  from  Ephesus  by  the 


XX.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


267 


3  them  much  exhortation,  he  came  into  Greece,  and  there  abode 
three  months.  And  when  the  Jews  laid  wait  for  him,  as  he  was 
about  to  sail  into  Syria,  he  purpo:«ed  to  return  through  Mace- 

4  donia.  And  there  accompanied  him  into  Asia,  Sopater  of  Berea; 
and  of  the  Thessalonians,  Aristarchus  and  Secundus;  and  Gaius 
of  Derbe,  and  Timotheus;  and  of  Asia,  Tychicus  and  Trophi- 

g  mus.  These  going  before,  tarried  for  us  at  Troas.  And  we 
sailed  away  from  Philippi,  after  the  days  of  unleavened  bread, 
and  came  unto  them  to  Troas  in  five  days ;    where  we  abode 

7  seven  days. And  upon  the  first  day  of  the  week,  when  the 

disciples  came  together  to  break  bread,  Paul  preached  unto 
them,  (ready  to  depart  on  the  morrow,)  and  continued  his  speech 


uproar  made  by  Demetrius  and  his 
partisans.  He  had  spent,  as  is  sup- 
posed, nearly  three  years  in  that  city, 
chap.  xix.  8,  10,  and  made  many  dis- 
ciples. —  Over  those  parts,  i.  e.  the 
region  thereabouts,  in  which  he  had 
before  planted  churches.  2  Cor.  ii. 
12,  13,  vii.  5,  6.  While  in  Mace- 
donia, he  is  conjectured  to  have  "writ- 
ten the  second  epistle  to  the  Corin- 
thians, 2  Cor.  viii.  1,  6,  16-19,  22, 
ix.  2-4,  and  despatched  it  by  the 
hand  of  Titus.  —  Greece.  The  otlier 
Roman  province  of  tliat  region,  equiv- 
alent to  Achaia.  Chap,  xviii.  12, 27, 
xix.  21. 

3.  Abode  three  months.  At  Corinth, 
whence  he  is  supposed  to  have  sent 
his  letter  to  the  Romans.  Rom.  xv. 
25, 26,  xvi.  23 ;  1  Cor.  i.  14 ;  2  Tim. 
iv.  20.  —  Jews  laid  ivait.  Actuated 
more  by  religious  animosity  than  the 
hope  of  plundering  Paul  of  the  con- 
tributions to  the  poor,  —  a  motive 
suggested  by  some.  2  Cor.  viii.  1, 
2,  ix.  2.  —  To  return,  &fc.  Instead 
of  taking  a  direct  course  to  Syria 
from  Corinth,  by  sea,  he  returns  by 
a  circuitous  route  on  land,  through 
Macedonia,  to  escape  the  plots  of  the 
Jews. 

4,  5.  Accompanied.  Griesbach  has 
punctuated  the  sentence  so  that  this 
verb  agrees  only  witli  Sopater,  thus, 
—  "And  Sopater  of  Berea,  son  of 


Pyrrhus,  accompanied  him  into  Asia," 
adding,  agreeably  to  the  best  author- 
ities, the  name  of  Sopater's  father, 
Pyrrhus.  —  Sopater.  Or,  perhaps,  So- 
sipater,  Rom.  xvi.  21,  a  relative  of 
Paul.  —  Aristarchus.  See  chap.  xix. 
29,  xxvii.  2 ;  Col.  iv.  10,  11 ;  Phil. 
24.  —  Gaius.  Chap.  xix.  29 ;  1  Cor. 
i.  U.— Tychicus.  Eph.  vi.  21,  22; 
Col.  iv.  7,  8 ;  Tit.  iii.  12.  —  Trophi- 
mus.  Chap.  xxi.  29 ;  2  Tim.  iv.  20. 
—  These  going  before,  ^c.  They  did 
not  accompany  Paul  into  Asia,  but, 
going  before,  they  stopped  at  Troas 
till  he,  with  Sopater,  ver.  4,  and 
Luke,  ver.  5,  arrived  ;  and  then  they 
accompanied  him  to  Asia,  or  the 
province  of  which  Ephesus  was  the 
capital.  —  Us.  This  incidental  men- 
tion of  Luke,  the  writer,  as  the  com- 
panion of  Paul,  who  had  been 
dropped,  at  chap,  xvi.  17,  carries  a 
certain  air  of  genuineness.  —  Troas. 
Chap.  xvi.  8,  and  note. 

6.  After  the  days,  fyc.  Probably 
the  occasion  of  their  tarrying  was  to 
strengthen  the  church;  and  to  wait, 
perhaps,  until  after  the  feast,  during 
which  the  Jews  were  not  'allowed  the 
use  of  leavened  bread.  —  Infve  days. 
Occupied  with  the  voyage  across  the 
JGgean  Sea.     Chap.  xvi.  11,  12. 

7.  The  first  day  of  the  week.  This 
day  appears  to  have  been  used  by 
the  apostles,  instead  of  the  Jews* 


atis 


THE   ACTS 


[Chap. 


until  midnight.     And  there  were  many  liglits  in  the  upper  cham-  8 
ber,  where  tliey  were  gathered   together.     And   there  sat  in  a  'J 
window  a  certain  young  man  named  Eutychus,  being  fallen  into 
a  deep  sleep  :  and  as  Paul  was  long  preaching,  he  sunk  down  with 
sleep  :   and  fell  down  from  the  third  loft,  and  was  taken  up  dead. 
And  Paul  went  down,  and  fell  on  him,  and  embracing  //.////,  said,  10 
Trouble  not  yourselves;  for  his  life  is  in  him.     When  he  there-  n 


Sabbath,  —  being  the  day  of  the  rcs- 
unoction  of  Jesus,  —  for  the  pur- 
poses of  worsliip  and  coinnmnion. 
1  Cor.  xvi.  2  ;  Rev.  i.  10. —  7V>  break 
bread.  To  celebrate  tbo  Lord's  siip- 
por,  which  seems,  by  tiio  piirascology 
liore  used,  to  have  been  done  weekly. 
—  Until  midnis;ht.  When  it  was  in- 
terrupted by  the  fall  of  the  young 
man ;  but  was  resumed,  and  contin- 
ued until  daybreak,  ver.  11.  The 
zeal  and  affection  of  both  preacher 
and  hearers  were  manifested  by  the 
length  of  the  services.  The  dis- 
coiu-se,  however,  was  not,  in  all  like- 
lihood, continuous,  but  took  rather 
the  tbrm  of  a  conversation,  in  which 
<|iiestions  were  asked  and  answered. 

8.  There  were  mamf  lights.  Jowett, 
a  modern  missionary  in  this  region, 
remarks,  that  "  the  very  great  plenty 
of  oil  in  this  neighborhood  would 
enable  them  to  afford  many  lights." 
And  again:  "On  entering  my  host's 
door,  we  find  the  groimd-lloor  entire- 
ly used  as  a  store ;  it  is  tilled  with 
largo  barrels  of  oil,  —  the  produce 
of  the  rich  country  for  many  miles 
romid."  He  further  observes,  in  re- 
lation to  "  the  upp(!r  chamber,"  tliat 
"th(!  rooms  on  the  second  floor  are  very 
ordinary,  and  occu|)ied  by  the  family 
for  their  daily  use ;  but  on  the  next 
story  all  their  expense  is  lavished ; 
and  in  such  an  a))artment  Paul  was 
invited  to  ))reach  his  parting  dis- 
course,—  a  secluded,  spacious,  and 
commodious  room." 

9.  In  a  loindow.  This  word  is 
from  unndore,  wind -door,  a  door  for 
air  and  liirlit.     Such  was  its  use  in 


the  East,  being  a  mere  lattice-work, 
destitute  of  glass,  which  was  not  then 
used,  and  on  a  level  with  tiio  floor, 
but  generally  projecting  over  the 
street.  This  would  be  open  on  ac- 
count of  the  heat  and  large  company. 
—  The  third  lojt  Or,  story.  —  Taken 
up  dead.  If  the  words  are  to  be 
taken  in  their  simple  sense,  his  life 
was  gone.  The  heat  of  many  lamps, 
the  numerous  company,  and  the  late- 
ness of  the  hour,  would  naturally 
create  drowsiness,  even  under  the 
preacliing  of  Paul.  The  natural 
laws  of  the  human  constitution  will 
take  effect,  though  the  intentions  and 
wishes  of  the  mind  are  contrary  to 
them.  While  much  complaint  is 
made  of  hearers  sleeping  through 
the  most  solenui  services,  it  should 
not  be  forgotten  that  sometliing  ought 
to  be  pardoned  to  poor  human  na- 
ture, treated,  as  it  too  oflen  is  in 
public  assemblies,  with  bad  air,  ex- 
cessive heat  or  cold,  and  uncomfort- 
able arrangements  for  light  and 
soimd. 

10.  Fell  on  him.  1  Kings,  xvii. 
21 ;  2  Kings,  iv.  'M.  This  was  an  act 
of  tenderness,  rather  tlian  a  remedial 
ai)|)lication.  —  His  life  is  in  him. 
Mat  ix.  24;  John  xi.  11.  Not  that 
he  was  not  dead,  but  his  life  was 
soon  comi)letely  restored.  It  is  the 
opinion,  however,  of  some  sensible  ex- 
positors, that  no  miracle  was  wrought, 
his  fall  only  throwing  the  young  man 
into  a  swoon,  or  state  of  insensi- 
bility. 

11,12.  Broken  bread,  and  eaten. 
The  eucharist,  which  would  fitly  con- 


\X.|  ol'  'INI':   Al'OSTLKS.  969 

fore  wa«  coino  up  nj^iiin,  luul  h«tl  hroltcii  broiul,  and  cMitni,  uiul 
VI  UxWioA  n  loiijr  while,  cvni  till  broiik  of  day,  ho  ho  <loparUMl.     And 

(hoy  hrou)rht  the  yoiiii^  man  alive,  and  wore  not  a  littlo  coni- 
i;»  iortiMl. And  w(*  wont  hcloro  to  whip,  and  nailed  nnto  Af<HOM, 

tlH^ro  intending  to  tak<^  in  I'anI  :  for  mo  had  he  appointed,  niind- 
II  inj^  hiinMelfto  go  afoot.  And  when  he  unit  witli  n«  at  Am.soh,  Wft 
!.'>  took  him  in,  and  came  to  Milylene.     And  we  HailcMi  thence,  and 

cam<^  the  n(^xt  (lai/ oxer  a>j;ainMt  ('Iuom;    and  the  next  daif  we 

arriv(ul  at  Snnios,  and  tarried  at  'rro^ryljinin  ;  and  the  next  flat; 
Hi  we  canu^  to  MiletJis.      Kor  I'nnI  luul  d<'terniiiuMl  to  nail   l»y  I'lphe- 

flus,  bccnu«e  he  would  not  spend  the  tinu^  in  Ania :  for  h<^  haMe<l, 

if  it  were  possibles  for  him,  to  In*  at  JeruMakMU  the  day  of  Pen- 

tecoHt. 


chidi'  thJH    ranii'Hl    iitid    iiU'ct  rutmile  iho    pontesi;    Pittacud,   ono    of  the 

uilcrvicw.     Ver.  7.  —  .lllvc.     Or,  an  Hi'voii  HajirM  of  (Jn*r»'e  ;    niid  uinny 

|{|()()iMli(<ltI     ('Diit.iMiilH,     '^iilivi^     and  otluT  ('(did>rMt<fd  pernoiiH.     Hut  it  in 

well."     'l^lu\V  had  hreu  thrown  into  now    iiu    iuMJ^niiiicniit,    iilucr,    uudrr 

jrrtMit  coiistcnrdiou  l»y  th«'  full   iiud  the  Turkn,  (•iiiird  (V/.v/ro. 

dcilli  of  MulytliuH,  Mud  wrrr  piopor-  15.    Chiun.     Auollicr  JHliuid  in  the 

tionnlly   Ihiiuklnl    iiiid   ritiird   iil.    hiH  .I'iij^cnn,  iilxiiil  50  nnlcH  Hiiutli  of  Li>H- 

coniplclc  iind  iniriu-idouM  rcHlonilion.  Iioh,  lyinjjf  tiL''iiinHt,  tlio   touiiin  coiinI, 

The  ^oncriil   iiir  of  IIiIh  litllo  niirni-  luid   roinnrknlilo   lor   itn   fiTtility  iind 

tivo  JM'tolo'nM  an  ryc-wjtnrHM.  Iicnuly.    It,  in  now  culled  .SV/o.    Iiilhe 

IM.    /r<7»/  lir/'on.,  i.  e.  in  advance  (JriM'k  revolution,  TIk^  Tiukn  cruelly 

of  Paul.  —  W.v.vo.v.     'IMiJH  waH  n.  Huiidl  luaHsacreil  ahout  (i(),()()()  oul  of  ll(),(K)0 

Hi'aport,  in  the 'I'roiul,  or,  aH  Home  say,  ol'  the    inhalutiuilH,    in    <'old    Idood  ; 

\i\  INIynia,  upon  tli(^  /l'';^ean,  aboid. '^0  Hold  Home  .'{(),()()()   into  nlavery  ;  ami 

mileH   Houth   of  the   town  of  TroaH.  drove  the  nMuainder  into  exile,  pov- 

Ver.  r».  —  To  (nkv  in  /*itid.    Or,  "to  <M-1y,  aiul  dejHpair.     'IMiey   reduced  a 

take  him  in  ai;nin;*' MHtliey  had  Haded  uaradine  to  a   heap  of  Hiuokini^^  nncl 

liclore    with    htm    from     INuli|ipi    lo  h lood - nl ii i urd  |•uin:^.       .SVn/io.'*.     TliiM 

TroMH.    V(M".  (I.    -  'l\> ^ut  n/ool.    This  JHlaud    in  ahoid,  50  milen   Houlh-eaHt 

in  om^  verb  in  (i reek, and "liere  means  ol' CIuoh.     It  wan  lli<<  liirlh-plnce  of 

nimply,  to  t.rav(d  hy  land,     'i'lu*  mo-  Pyliiajj^oraH.  --    7V(>^»////i^m.          'i'lie 

tiV(!  waH  to  i;o  upon  a  nliortiT  roiiti*,  niinio  of  a  town  and  promontory  upon 

and    viHit    tiu!     inhaliitanlH    hy    th(<  the  continiMil,  opjioHite  SamoH,  at  a 

way,  iLH   we  may  coiyecturti   without,  few  imlcH  diHt,an<*e.       JMilrlun.     AIho 

violence.  called  Mijetum.     A  Heajwirt  upon  the 

II.    Miliihiw.     'Y\\\h  city  wan  the  conHt  of  loiuii,  ami   ilH  ancient  capi- 

ca|»iial  of  lii'shoH,  an  iHland  lyiny;  at.  tal.     'riiiiles,  one  of  the  Seven  VVisn 

M  nhort    diHtiiiKM!   from   Wui  cohhI  of  Men  of  (Jreece,  wan  a  MileHian;  and 

Nfyniii,    ami    ahout   .'10  or    10    mileH  here  wan  a  famoiiH  temple  of  Apollo. 

Houlli  of  Ahhoh.     It  wan  iliHlin|.niiHlied  It  was  -10  mileH  from  l'l|)lieHUH,     The 

for  the  Hplendor  of  ilH  piihlic  I'dilicoH,  TiU'kM  call  it  Mvlns. 

and  tln^  culture  of  poetry  and  pliiloH-  1(5,  17.    To  snil  hy  I'ljihtsm.    Thin 

uphy,  -for  it  ^ave  hirlli  lo  Sap|>lio,  in  olh.'U  road  wron{»'.     //// Ih  emphatic. 


27& 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


And  from  Miletus  he  sent  to  Ephesus,  and  called  the  elders  17 
of  the  church.     And  when  they  were  come  to  him,  he  said  unto  18 
them,  Ye  know,  from  the  first  day  that  I  came  into  Asia,  after 
what  manner  I  have  been  with  you  at  all  seasons,  serving  the  19 
Lord  with  all  humility  of  mind,  and  with  many  tears  and  tempta- 
tions, which  befell  me  by  the  lying  in  wait  of  the  Jews :    and  20 
how  I  kept  back  nothing  that  was  profitable  unto  you,  but  have 
showed  you,  and  have  taught  you  publicly,  and  from  house  to 
house,  testifying  both  to  the  Jews,  and  also  to  the  Greeks,  re-  21 
pentance  toward  God,  and  faith  toward  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 


He  did  not  intend  to  take  Ephesus 
on  his  route,  but  to  sail  67/,  past 
it,  and  take  a  nearer  course.  —  Into 
Asia,  \.  e.  the  province  so  called,  in 
which  Ephesus  was  situated.  —  The 
day  of  Pentecost.  This  great  festival 
would  enable  him  to  address  his 
countrymen  to  better  advantage,  and 
relieve  tlie  poor  to  whom  he  was  car- 
rying a  contribution,  and  to  advance 
the  Christian  cause.  —  Called  the  el- 
ders, ^c.  See  note  on  chap.  xi.  30. 
Elders  and  bishops,  or  overseers, 
were  synonymous  terms  at  that  time, 
as  is  manifest  from  a  comparison  of 
ver.  17  with  ver.  28,  and  of  Phil.  i.  1 ; 
1  Tim.  iii.  2,  with  ver.  8 ;  Titus  i.  7 ; 
and  were  used  to  describe  those  who 
were  appointed  as  superintendents  or 
presidents  over  the  early  churches, 
without  their  duties  being  very  tech- 
nically determined.  There  is  no  ev- 
idence that  any  other  officers  of  the 
church  were  present  at  that  time, 
except  those  of  Ephesus. 

18.  Asia.  The  district  of  Asia 
Minor,  so  called.  —  After  what  mari- 
ner I  have  been  with  you,  ^c.  Or, 
how  I  have  behaved  among  you. 
The  fearless  confidence  with  which 
he  called  attention  to  his  conduct 
gave  assurance  of  a  true  man ;  while 
Qie  earnestness  of  his  appeal  identi- 
fied Paul.  His  motive  was  not  vain- 
glory, but  to  do  good,  by  repelling 
Qie  charges  of  his  enemies.  1  Thes. 
i.  5. 


19.  With  all  humility.  Or,  lowli- 
ness of  mind.  Though  endowed  with 
miraculous  powers,  and  called  to  a 
great  work  and  authority,  he  yet  did 
not  lord  it  over  their  faith,  or  abuse 
his  station  by  arrogance  and  pride 

—  Many.     Is  omitted  by  Griesbach 

—  Temptations.  Better,  trials. —  By 
the  lying  in  tvait.  By  the  machina- 
tions. —  The  Jeu'S.  Most  of  his  trou- 
bles arose  from  his  countrymen.  The 
wide  and  unshackled  privileges  of 
tlie  gospel  ill  suited  those  who  were 
ready  to  cry  out  that  they  were  the 
children  of  Abraham,  and  who  could 
see  nothing  good  in  a  Gentile  until 
he  had  pronounced  their  shibboleth. 

20,  21.  Kept  back  nothing.  His 
aim  Avas  not  to  preach  what  they 
liked,  but  what  they  needed,  —  the 
true  model  of  a  preacher  of  right- 
eousness. —  F)om  house  to  house.  He 
was  not  content  merely  to  deliver 
discourses  in  the  public  assembly, 
and  dispense  with  other  instrumen- 
talities, but  zealously  pursued  his 
great  work  in  private,  from  house  to 
house,  and  literally  carried  home  the 
truth  of  heaven  to  the  hearths  and 
hearts  of  the  Ephesians.  —  Both  to 
the  Jews,  and  also  to  the  Greeks.  The 
same  doctrine  essentially  was  needed 
by  one  as  by  the  other.  Their  sins 
might  assume  different  fonns,  but  the 
interior  purification  and  spiritualiza- 
tion  of  the  character  were  to  be  ef- 
fected by  the  same  celestial  agency, 


XX.] 


OF   TilE   AI^O^TLES. 


271 


22  And  now  beliold,  I  go  bound  in  the  spirit  unto  Jerusalem,  not 

23  knowing  the  things  that  shall  befall  ine  there :  save  that  the 
Holy  Ghost  witnesseth  in  every  city,  saying,  that  bonds  and  af- 

24  flictions  abide  me.  But  none  of  these  things  move  me,  neither 
count  I  my  life  dear  unto  myself,  so  that  I  might  finish  my  course 
with  joy,  and  the   ministry  which  I 'have  received  of  the  Lord 


whether  in  the  case  of  the  formalist 
and  bigot,  or  the  sensualist  and  idol- 
ater. —  Repentance  toward  God. 
Some  critics  view  this  as  the  pecu- 
liar duty  of  the  Gentiles,  to  ttrn 
from  their  idolatry  to  the  faith  and 
worship  of  one  God ;  but  repentance 
Avould  seem  to  cover  all  that  ground, 
and  more,  and  to  be  imperative  on 
the  erring  Jew  as  Avell  as  on  tlie 
heathen ;  for  all  had  sinned,  and 
come  short  of  the  glory  of  God.  — 
Faith  toward  our  Lord,  ^'C.  So  of 
faitli ;  it  was  the  part  of  a  consistent 
Jew  to  believe  in  the  Messiah,  whom 
his  lawgiver  and  prophets  had  pre- 
dicted for  a  thousand  years,  —  to  Avel- 
come  the  nearer  and  tenderer  reve- 
lation of  God  in  his  Son;  yet  the 
Gentile  also  was  required  not  only 
to  turn  from  the  polluted  shrines  of 
idolatry  to  the  worship  of  the  Most 
High,  but  to  draw  nigh  to  the  Sa- 
viour of  the  Avorld.  The  majestic 
simplicity  of  the  apostle's  preaching, 
and  the  total  emphasis  which  he 
threw  upon  the  chief  doctrines  and 
duties  of  the  gospel,  ought  not  to 
pass  unobser\^ed. 

22,  23.  Bound  in  the  spirit^  i.  e.  — 
according  to  the  opinion  of  the 
best  critics,  —  "impelled  in  mind," 
prompted  by  his  OAvn,  not  the  Holy 
Spirit.  Chap,  xviii.  5.  —  JVot  know- 
ing the  things,  &;c.  What  a  touching 
expression  of  his  ignorance  is  here 
made  by  the  apostle,  who  none  the 
less  heroically  pursued  the  path  of 
duty  because  unknown  dangers  be- 
set it,  and  because  he  had  to  conflict 
with  actual  trials,  and,  what  is  even 
harder,   with    the    apprehension  of 


trials  to  come. —  The  Holy  Ghost 
witnesseth  in  every  city.  Chap.  ix.  16. 
As  he  passed  from  city  to  city,  he 
was  continually  admonished,  by  di- 
vine warnings,  that  he  would  be 
persecuted  and  imprisoned,  upon  his 
arrival  at  Jerusalem,  where  he 
would  encounter  an  even  more  for- 
midable opposition  from  his  country- 
men than  he  had  experienced  in  the 
Gentile  cities.  As  an  illustration  of 
this  clause,  see  chap.  xxi.  4, 11.  The 
faith  which  sustained  him  and  his 
associates  is  vividly  portrayed  in  2 
Cor.  iv.  8-11.  It  is  observed,  by 
Paley,  that  there  is  an  incidental 
coincidence  with  this  passage,  sig- 
nificant of  reality  and  truth,  in  Rom. 
XV.  .30,  31. 

24.  JVone  of  these  things  move  mc. 
Or,  literally,  "I  make  account  of 
notliing,"  or,  make  no  account  of 
these  things.  —  Finish  my  co  urse.  Or, 
race,  —  in  reference  to  the  ancient 
games.  Chap.  xiii.  25 ;  2  Tim.  iv.  7. 
—  The  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God. 
The  gospel,  gracious  to  the  Gentiles 
as  to  the  Jews,  and  showing  the  im- 
partial favor  of  God.  Doddridge 
well  remarks  upon  this  verse,  that 
"  It  adds  great  beauty  to  this,  and  all 
the  other  passages  of  Scripture  in 
which  the  apostles  express  their  con- 
tempt of  the  world,  that  they  were 
not  uttered  by  persons,  like  Seneca 
and  Antoninus,  in  the  full  affluence 
of  its  enjoyment,  but  by  men  under 
the  pressure  of  the  greatest  calami- 
ties, who  were  every  day  exposing 
their  lives  for  the  sake  of  God,  and 
in  the  expectation  of  a  happy  im- 
mortality." 


272 


THE   ACTS 


[Chap. 


Jesus,  to  testify  the  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God,     And  now  be-  25 
hold,  I  know  that  ye  all,  among  whom  I  have  gone  preaching 
the  kingdom  of  God,  shall  see  my  face  no  more.     Wherefore  I  26 
take  you  to  record  this  day,  that  I  am  pure  from  the  blood  of  all 
men^  for  I  have  not  shunned  to  declare  unto  you  all  the  counsel  27 
of  God.     Take  heed  therefore  unto  yourselves,  and  to  all  the  28 


25.  /  know.  This  expresses  not 
absolute  certainty,  but  assured  per- 
suasion. —  Shall  see  my  face  no  more. 
He  was  bound  on  a  dangerous  jour- 
ney, and  it  was  probable  that  he 
would  never  see  them  again.  Wheth- 
er he  afterwards  visited  Epbesus,  or 
not,  is  matter  of  doubtful  inference ; 
though  critics  have  conjectured  that 
he  revisited  this  region.  See  Phil. 
i.  25-27;  ii.  24;  Philemon,  22. 

26.  /  take  you  to  record.  A  sol- 
emn appeal  to  their  testimony. — 
Pure  from  the  blood  of  all  men.  Or, 
better,  "  of  all ; "  or,  of  you  all,  —  as 
men  is  not  in  the  original,  and  i/ou 
may  be  understood.  With  fidelity 
he  had  discharged  his  responsible 
office,  and  if  they  perished  in  their 
sins,  he  had  cleared  himself  of  all 
accountableness  for  their  fall.  Ezek. 
xxxiii.  4-6. 

27.  Have  not  shunned  to  declare, 
i>fc.  This  indicated  how  he  had  ful- 
filled his  high  duty,  viz. :  by  a  full 
and  fearless  proclamation  of  the 
truth,  and  the  whole  truth,  of  the 
gospel, —  even  that  unpalatable  doc- 
trine, that  Gentiles,  without  submit- 
ting to  the  yoke  of  Moses,  were 
entitled    to    all   the   privileores    and 

promises  of  the  Christian  faith. 

28.  Take  heed  therefore  unto  your- 
selves. This  was  their  first  duty, 
without  the  performance  of  which 
they  would  in  vain  attempt  to  benefit 
til '  flock.  The  cultivation  of  per- 
sonal goodness  is  the  essential  pre- 
liminary condition  to  a  useful  minis- 
try. —  Overseers.  The  original  is 
"  bishops,"  as  translated  in  Phil.  i.  1 ; 
I  Tim.  iii.  2 ;  Titus  i.  7 ;  1  Pet.  ii.  25 ; 


—  and,  to  preserve  uniformity  of 
phraseology,  it  should  have  been  so 
rendered  here.  The  identity  of 
these  officers  with  presbyters  or  elders, 
at  that  early  period,  is  shoAvn  by  a 
comparison  of  this  verse  with  ver.  17. 
It  is  a  sad  wresting  of  the  rectitude 
and  simplicity  of  the  divine  word,  to 
attempt,  by  strained  inferences,  to 
fasten  upon  the  church  of  the  apos- 
tolic age  all  the  orders  of  modern 
Episcopacy  and  Papacy.  The  dif- 
ferent offices  sprang  up  spontane- 
ously, as  they  Avere  wanted ;  chap, 
vi.  1  -  6 ;  and  names  taken  from  Ju- 
daism, taken  from  existing  society, 
were  used  to  describe  them,  not  tech- 
nically and  rigidly,  but  freely,  popu- 
larly, and  variously.  "  To  attempt 
to  make  out  from  these  primitive  in- 
stitutions any  nice  system  which  shnll 
be  adapted  to  modern  wants,  and 
conform  to  modern  ideas,  is  to  mis- 
take altogether  the  nature  of  all 
primitive  institutions,  which  are  es- 
sentially provisional,  extemporane- 
ous, infonnal,  and  changeable."  — 
The  church  of  God.  Or,  as  it  should 
be  read,  "the  church  of  the  Lord," 
refeiTing  to  Christ ;  for,  by  his  suf- 
ferings and  denth,  his  life  and  doc- 
trines, he  had  redeemed  a  church  of 
believers  from  the  sin  and  idolntry 
of  the  world.  That  the  true  reading 
in  the  original  Greek  is  Lord,  and 
not  God,  is  substantiated,  with  but 
few  exceptions,  by  those  who  would 
be  most  interested  in  employing  this 
as  a  proof-text  for  the  support  of 
tlieir  faith,  viz.,  Trinitarian  commen- 
tators ;  but  they  have  shown  how 
much  more  they  are  interested  for 


XX. 


OF  THE  APOS'l'LES. 


273: 


flock  over  the  which  the  Holy  Ghost  hath  made  you  overseers,  to 
feed  the  church  of  God,  wliich  he  hath  purchased  with  his  own 

29  blood.     For  I  know  this,  that  after  my  departing  shall  grievous 

30  wolves  enter  in  among  you,  not  sparing  the  flock.     Also  of  your 
own  selves  shall  men  arise,  speaking  perverse  things,  to  draw 


the  trutli  tlian  for  a  party.  Thus 
Kuinoel  says,  "  The  true  reading, 
beyond  all  doubt,  is  the  church  of 
the  Lord;  and  this  has  been  adopted 
by  Grotius,Wetstein,  Le  Clerc,  Grics- 
bach,  and  all  the  most  skilful  critics 
of  the  present  age."  Michael  is  re- 
marks, that  "  the  reading,  God,  has 
hitherto  been  found  in  but  few  man- 
uscripts ;  and  among  those,  none  is 
of  high,  or  even  of  considerable,  an- 
tiquity. I  confess  that,  on  impartial 
attention  to  the  evidence,  I  dare  not 
adopt  it  as  the  true  and  genuine 
reading."  Smith :  "  I  must  acknowl- 
edge, that  to  me  the  preponderance 
of  evidence  appears  in  favor  of  the 
last  reading,  the  church  of  the  Loi-d." 
Olshausen  :  "  According  to  the  criti- 
cal authorities,  it  is  not  possible  to 
maintain  the  genuineness  of  that  (tlie 
common)  reading."  Rosenmuller: 
« The  true  reading  seems  to  be,  0/* 
the  Lord.  In  the  Nestorian  contro- 
versy, many  affirmed,  that  noAvhere 
in  the  sacred  Scriptures  occurs  the 
expression,  hlood  of  God;"  (which 
would  be,  indeed,  a  most  violent  and 
unwarrantable  metaphor.)  David- 
son: "  On  the  whole,  I  am  inclined 
to  adopt  the  Lord,  as  the  probable 
reading.  It  is  best  supported  by  ex- 
ternal evidrnce  ;  and  the  internal  is, 
at  least,  equally  strong  with  that  for 
God:'  Marsh:  "Polemical  divinity 
must  be  totally  separated  from  sacred 
criticism;  for  a  reading  is  not  ren- 
dered spurious  by  its  opposition  to 
an  established  creed,  nor  genuine 
by  their  agreement  The  only  busi- 
ness of  a  critic  is  impartially  to  weigh 
the  evidence  which  may  be  brought 
for,  or  against,  a  reading,  and  to 
determine  on  that  side  on  which  tiie 


scale  preponderates.  Now,  that 
Wetstein  h:is  acted  agreeably  to  this 
principle  in  preferring  Lord  to  God, 
no  man,  who  transgresses  not  tlie 
bounds  of  trutli,  can  deny."  Barnes : 
"  'i'he  most  ancient  manuscripts  and 
the  best,  read  the  church  of  the  Lord, 
and  this  probably  was  the  genuine 
text."  The  Abbots:  "In  all  the 
most  ancient  copies  of  the  New- 
Testament,  and  those  most  to  be  re- 
lied upon  for  correctness,  it  reads, 
'the  church  of  the  Lord,  which,'" 
&c.  Moms,  Nares,  Pearce,  New- 
come,  Hill,  Plolden,  Wardlaw,  Mid- 
dleton,  Limborch,  Wall,  Pyle,  Wil- 
liams, might  be  cited,  to  show  that 
they  regarded  the  received  text  as 
either  doubtful  or  spurious ;  while 
Bloomfield,  and  several  others,  either 
contend  for  tlie  genuineness  of  the 
text,  or  for  a  similar  reading.  But 
Trinitarian  criticism,  to  say  nothing 
of  other  sects,  greatly  preponderates 
in  favor  of  the  reading,  the  church  of 
the  Lord.  —  Purchased  with  his  oivn 
blood.  The  costliness  of  the  sacri- 
fices which  Christ  made  for  the  es- 
tablishment of  his  religion,  —  even  to 
death,  the  death  of  the  cross,  —  is  ad- 
duced as  an  aro'ument  for  fidelity  in 
the  officers  of  tlie  church.  The  doc- 
trine of  a  vicarious  atonement  finds 
no  support  in  passages  like  the  pres- 
ent, for  it  is  popular  language.  Em- 
phasis is  laid  upon  the  blood,  the  death, 
the  cross,  of  Christ,  because  he  thus 
showed  his  love ;  and  because  his 
death,  and  the  subsequent  events, 
proved  him  to  be  a  spiritual  Messiah, 
and  not  the  temporal  one  expected 
by  tlie  Jews. 

2J>,  30.   The  apostle  here  assigns 
a  twofold  reason  why  they  should 


274 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


away   disciples   after   them.     Therefore   watch,   and    remember,  31 
that  by  the  space  of  three  years  I  ceased  not  to  warn  every  one 
night  and  day  with  tears.     And  now,  brethren,  I  commend  you  32 
to  God,  and  to  the  word  of  his  grace,  wliich  is  able  to  build  you 
up,  and  to  give  you  an  inheritance  among  all  them  which  are 
sanctified.     I  have  coveted  no  man's  silver,  or  gold,  or  apparel,  33 
Yea,  ye  yourselves  know,  that  these  hands  have  ministered  unto  34 


take  heed  botli  to  themselves  and  to 
the  flock,  because  dangers  would 
press  upon  tliem  from  M'itliout,  and 
corruptions  spring  up  witliin.  There 
would  be  persecutors  that  Avould  as- 
sault the  church  with  the  ferocity  of 
wild  beasts,  and  false  teachers  that 
would  seduce  the  disciples  from  tlie 
simplicity  of  the  gospel,  —  some 
seeking  to  mix  Christianity  with  Ju- 
daism, and  others  to  blend  it  with 
Gentile  philosophy.  —  JVolves.  Mat. 
vii.  15,  X.  16.  —  Speakins^  perverse 
things,  ^"c.  The  object  of  the  schis- 
matics who  thus  broke  in  upon  the 
purity  and  tranquillity  of  the  church, 
would  be  to  gain  adherents,  and 
make  a  party  of  theu  own ;  and, 
to  effect  this,  they  would  not  hes- 
itate to  pervert  tlie  truth.  The 
irruption  into  the  Christian  body,  in 
general,  oi*  such  a  class  of  persons, 
is  hinted  at  in  various  passages  of 
the  New  Testament.  1  Cor.  i.  11  - 
13 ;  Phil.  iii.  2 ;  1  Tim.  i.  19, 20,  iv. 
1  -  3 ;  2  Tim.  i.  13 ;  1  John  ii.  18, 19 ; 
3  John,  9 ;  Rev.  ii.  6,  15. 

31.  Therefore  watch.  The  legiti- 
mate conclusion  from  the  announce- 
ment before  made,  ver.  29,  30,  of 
impending  dangers.  —  Three  years. 
A  statement  of  time  in  round  num- 
bers. Comp.  chap.  xix.  8,  10,  22.  — 
With  tears.  Stem  as  was  his  nature 
when  a  persecutor  of  tlie  church,  and 
daring  as  was  his  course  after  he  be- 
came a  Christian,  Paul  was  yet  a  man 
of  the  tenderest  sensibility,  —  as  his 
Epistles  testify,  in  passages  over- 
flowing with  feeling,  and  filled  Avith 
the  kindest  messages  to  liis  friends. 


More  sAveetly  do  his  words  strike 
upon  our  hearts,  because  they  were 
baptized  witii  tears,  —  tears  of  grief, 
and  tears,  perhaps,  of  joy,  —  tears  of 
anguish,  and  tears  of  gratitude.  We 
read  him  no  longer  as  Paul  the  apos- 
tle, but  as  Paul  the  aft'ectionate 
friend,  the  loving  brother,  with  whom 
ice  might  have  sympathized,  and 
dropped  tear  for  tear. 

32.  To  God,  and  to  the  word  of 
his  gi-ace.  Or,  his  gracious  Avord  or 
doctrine,  the  gospel.  The  use  of 
God,  in  connexion  with  something 
else  distinct  from  God,  Avill  help  ex- 
plain, in  some  degree,  the  phraseol- 
ogy of  Mat.  xxviii.  19.  —  To  give 
you  an  inheritance,  S^'c.  1'he  privi- 
leges of  the  Christian  body  here,  and 
tlie  inheritance  hereafter.  —  Sancti- 
fied.  Holy,  pure ;  those  AA-^ho  are 
prepared  to  possess  and  enjoy  such 
an  inheritance.     2  Cor.  xiii.  13. 

33,  34.  Coveted  no  man^s  silver, 
$)'€.  He  disclaims  avarice  noAv,  as  he 
disclaimed  pride  and  self-interest  be- 
fore. Ver.  19,  24.  He  Avould  quick- 
en their  benevolence  and  fidelity,  by 
reminding  them,  not  in  vain-glory, 
but  self-vindication,  of  the  tears  he 
had  shed,  and  the  toils  he  had  under- 
gone, for  their  sakes.  He  had  not 
sought  their's,  but  them ;  not  the 
fleece,  but  the  flock.  They  had  been 
bought  Avith  a  great  price,  and  ought 
not  lightly  to  throAv  tJiemselves  aAvay. 
—  Apparel.  A  great  item  of  oriental 
Avealth.  —  These  hands.  As  if  hold- 
ing them  up  to  vieAA^,  hardened  Avith 
labor.  He  had  not  only  supported 
hunself,  but    helped  others  to  the 


XX.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


275 


35  my  necessities,  and  to  thein  that  were  with  me.  I  have  showed 
you  all  things,  how  that  so  laboring  ye  ought  to  support  the 
weak,  and  to  remember  the  words  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  how  he 

36  said,  It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive. And  when 

he  had  thus  spoken,  he  kneeled  down,  and  prayed  with  them  all. 


bread  of  earth  as  well  as  tlie  bread 
of  heaven.  Chap,  xviii.  3 ;  1  Sam. 
xii.  3-5;  1  Cor.  iv.  12;  1  Tlies.  ii. 
9;  2Thes.  iii.  8-10. 

35.  Showed  you  all  tliinQ;s.  Given 
you  full  instructions.  —  To  support 
the  iveak.  Who  are  understood  by 
some  to  be  the  spiritually  weak,  who 
might  easily  take  offence,  and  fall 
from  their  Christian  profession,  if 
not  tenderly  borne  Avith,  and  every 
occasion  of  sin  removed.  But  the 
obvious  sense  is  the  best,  viz.,  the 
poor,  sick,  feeble.  —  The  words  of 
ilie  Lord.  Much  of  his  teaching 
passed  away  unrecorded.  John  xxi. 
25.  But  we  have  here  an  interest- 
ing fragment  recovered  from  oblivion, 
which,  like  the  broken  piece  of  some 
splendid  work  of  ancient  art,  a  torso 
of  sculpture,  betokens,  without  fail, 
"  the  gi-eat  Master,"  and  harmonizes 
in  spirit  with  his  recorded  history 
and  discourses.  —  //  is  more  blessed 
io  ^ive  than  to  receive.  Though  this 
maxim  reverses  the  standard  of  the 
world,  yet  it  is  verified  in  the  expe- 
rience of  every  moral  being.  It  is, 
as  heart  and  life  testify,  more  blessed 
to  give  than  to  receive  ;  to  gratify  a 
■disinterested  than  a  selfish  feeling; 
to  open  one's  heart  to  a  large  and 
generous  benevolence,  than  to  con- 
tract it  into  a  narrow  circle  of  mere 
personal  interest,  —  a  prison-house 
of  self  This  declaration  irabodies, 
therefore,  a  great  moral  law  of  our 
beino",  true  in  all  ages,  nations,  souls, 
and  illustrated  in  tlie  happiness  of 
myriads  of  one  class,  as  in  the 
wretchedness  of  myriads  of  the  op- 
posite class.  Though  it  may  sound 
like  a  paradox,  yet  God  has  so  con- 
structed the  world,  and  so  constituted 


man,  that,  by  suffering,  he  enjoys ; 
by  oiving,  he  is  blessed ;  by  sacrifi- 
cing, he  gains ;  and,  by  dying,  he 
truly  lives.  So  taught,  and  so  lived, 
and  died,  earth's  only  Blessed  One. 
While,  as  has  been  beautifully  said 
by  Olshausen,  "  In  an  absolute  sense, 
the  saying  is  fully  verified  in  tlie  re- 
lation of  the  Creator  to  the  creature ; 
for  God  is  the  Blessed,  because  he 
alone  gives  all  things  to  all  beings." 

"  The  reader,  who  possesses  a 
heart  of  true  Christian  sensibility, 
will  not  fail  to  be  affected  by  the 
manner  in  which  the  most  sublime, 
and  also  the  most  delicate  and  tender, 
traits  of  the  Christian  character,  are 
blended  in  the  expression  of  this  sol- 
emn f  ireweil.  We  see  in  it  a  strong 
assertion  of  conscious  rectitude,  made 
in  a  spirit  of  humility  and  lowliness 
of  mind  ;  a  d^^termined  and  undaunt- 
ed courage,  tinged  with  the  depres- 
sion and  sadness  awakened  by  dark 
forebodino;s  of  future  danger;  and 
feelings  of  peaceful  and  quiet  happi- 
ness, beaming  through,  and  overcom- 
ing mournful  recollections  of  the 
past,  and  the  sadness  of  a  final  sep- 
aration. Thus  the  tender  sensibdi- 
ties,  and  tlie  calm  but  indomitable 
courage  and  energy  of  the  great 
apostle's  character,  are  here  seen  in 
a  combination  which  Christianity 
alone  is  aWe  to  produce." 

30.  Prayed  with  them.  Like  the 
farewell  address  of  the  Saviour  to 
his  disciples, —  of  which  we  are  re- 
minded, both  by  its  contrasts  and  its 
resemblances,  —  the  spirit  mounts 
up,  at  the  conclusion,  to  Him  who  is 
pleased  to  have  his  children  love  one 
another,  and  who  can  sustain  them 
in    tlie    hour   of   mortal    trial    and 


276 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


And  they  all  wept  sore,  and  fell  on  Paul's  neck,  and  kissed  him,  37 
sorrowing  most  of  all  for  the  words  which  he  spake,  that  they  38 
should  see  his  face  no  more.     And  they  accompanied  him  unto 
the  ship. 

CHAPTER   XXI. 

Paid  sails  from  MiUhis  to  Cesarea,  and  proceeds  to  Jerusalem.     The  Uproar 
among  the  People,  and  his  Arrest  by  the  Chief  Captain. 

A.ND  it  came  to  pass,  that  after  we  were  gotten  from  them, 
and  had  launched,  we  came  with  a  straight  course  unto  Coos, 
and  the  day  following  unto  Rhodes,  and  from  thence  unto  Pa- 


anguish  with  a  help  the  world  cannot 
give  or  take  away. 

37,  38.  That  they  should  see  his 
face  no  more.  This  was  the  last 
drop  in  the  full  cup  of  their  grief, 
which  made  it  run  over.  It  was  the 
last  time.  They  would  see  him  no 
more.  That  struck  a  tender  chord 
in  each  heart,  and  "tears  unbidden 
flow."  We  cannot  but  observe  how 
holy  is  this  tie  of  spiritual  interest, 
this  clasping  of  soul  with  soul,  and 
heartfelt  recognition  of  human  broth- 
erhood. But  a  few  years  before,  and 
what  was  Paul  to  the  elders  of  Ephe- 
sus — or  the  elders  of  Ephesus  to 
Paul,^  They  kneAv  not,  cared  not, 
for  one  another.  But  they  iuibibe 
the  spirit  of  Jesus;  they  catch  a 
glimpse  of  the  hallowed  ties  that 
unite  man  to  man,  and  man  to  God  ; 
and,  lo,  they  are  neAv  creatures ;  they 
are  born,  spiritually  born,  into  a  new 
universe.  They  look  upon  each 
other  with  different  eyes,  and  feel 
that  their  connexion  is  no  coarse  or 
common  one ;  but  that  it  has  been 
made  in  heaven,  that  it  is  knit  by  the 
fingers  of  God,  and  will  last  ever- 
more. HoAv  changed  their  interest 
in  one  another,  and  in  the  mass  of 
men!  What  a  different  spectacle 
does  the  world  present  to  their  sanc- 
tified vision !  It  is  no  longer  a  mere 
stage  for  the  warrior  to  play  his 
bloody  part,  —  an  amphitheatre  with 


wild  beasts,  —  an  arena  for  the  self- 
ish strivings  of  men ;  but,  in  very 
deed,  the  world  of  God,  —  lighted 
up  by  him,  pervaded  by  his  presence, 
alive  with  his  wisdom  and  active 
love,  and  swarming  with  beings  near 
and  dear  to  the  mi  ghty  Parent.  Thus, 
they  taste  a  new  delight,  and  enjoy  a 
newly-created  sense.  They  are  now 
men,  brethren,  and  feel  for  one  an- 
other. They  may  be  sundered  by 
the  events  of  this  life,  and  see  one 
another  no  more ;  but  they  now 
know  —  sublime  assurance !  —  that 
man's  true  life  is  beyond  this  little 
span  of  being,  and  they  have  "  a 
hope  built  in  heaven." 

CHAPTER  XXL 
1.  JVere  gotten  from  them.  Or, 
had  torn  ourselves  away,  implying 
the  strong  cords  of  affection  Avhich 
bound  them  together.  —  Coos.  This 
was  one  of  the  Sporades,  a  group  of 
islands  in  the  ^Egean  Sea,  small,  but 
fertile,  and  distinguished  for  its 
wines,  silks,  and  cottons.  Its  pres- 
ent name  is  Stan  Co,  or  Stanchio. 
Paul  was  now  on  his  voyage  to  Pal- 
estine, caiTying  contributions  from 
Macedonia  and  Greece  to  the  desti- 
tute Christians  of  Judea.  —  Rhodes. 
Another  island  to  the  south-east  of 
Coos,  celebrated  for  its  Temple  of 
the'  Sun  and  immense  Colossus,  and 
also  belonging  to  the  Sporades ;  it 


XXL]  Ol^^  THE  APOSTLES.  277 

2tara:    and  finding  a  ship  sailing  over  unto  Phenicia,  we  went 

3  aboard,  and  set  forth.  Now  when  we  had  discovered  Cyprus, 
we  left  it  on  the  left  hand,  and  sailed  into  Syria,  and  landed  at 

4  Tyre :  for  there  the  ship  was  to  unlade  her  burden.  And  find- 
ing disciples,  we  tarried  there  seven  days :   who  said  to  Paul 

6  through  the  Spirit,  that  he  should  not  go  up  to  Jerusalem.  And 
when  we  had  accomplished  those  days,  we  departed,  and  went 
our  way ;  and  they  all  brought  us  on  our  way,  with  wives  and 
children,  till  ice  were  out  of  the  city :    and  we  kneeled  down  on 

6  the  shore,  and  prayed.     And  when  we  had  taken  our  leave  one 

7  of  another,  we  took  ship ;  and  they  returned  home  again.  And 
when  we  had  finished  our  course  from  Tyre,  we  came  to  Ptole- 
mais,  and  saluted  the  brethren,  and  abode  with  them  one  day. 


took  its  name  from  the  abundance  of 
roses  growing  in  the  island.  The 
Colossus  was  one  of  tlie  seven  won- 
ders of  the  world.  It  was  a  stupen- 
dous image  of  Apollo,  made  of  brass, 
with  its  feet  upon  the  two  moles  at 
the  entrance  of  the  harbor,  and  with 
space  between  its  legs  for  ships  to 
pass  through  under  full  sail.  It  was 
one  hundred  and  five  feet  high,  and 
well  proportioned  in  every  part.  It 
was  ascended  by  a  winding  stair- 
case, and  the  top  commanded  an  ex- 
tensive prospect.  Chares,  tiie  artist, 
employed  twelve  years  in  its  con- 
struction. B.  C.  300.  After  stand- 
ing erect  for  fifty  or  sixty  years,  it 
was  thrown  down  by  an  earthquake, 
and,  in  the  time  of  Paul,  and  many 
centuries  after,  it  remained  in  ruins  ; 
but,  in  A.  D.  672,  it  was  sold  by  the 
Saracens  to  a  Jew  of  Edessa,  who 
loaded  nine  hundred  camels  with  the 
brass,  which  was  estimated  to  weigh 
720,000  pounds.  —  Patara.  This  Avas 
a  seaport  of  Lysia,  containing  a 
remarkable  oracle  of  Apollo. 

2.  Finding  a  ship.  They  appar- 
ently depended  upon  transient  ves- 
sels.—  Phenicia.  A  country  north 
of  Palestine. 

3.  Cyprus.  Chap.  iv.  36.  —  Sjjria. 
Which  included  Phoenicia  and  also 

VOL.  III.  24 


the  whole  of  Palestine.  —  Tyre.  The 
great  city  of  Phoenicia,  famous  for  its 
commerce,  wealth,  and  luxury. 

4.  Tarried  there  seven  days.  Be- 
cause they  found  disciples.  Chap  xi. 
19.  —  Through  the  spirit.  Moved,  as 
it  would  "appear,  by  their  Christian 
feelings  ;  though,  if  it  had  been  an  ex- 
press revelation  to  them  from  God  of 
his  trials,  yet  the  apostle  would  be  at 
liberty  to  go,  or  stay,  as  would  best 
advance  the  cause  of  truth.  Jesus 
foresaw  his  death,  but  still  advanced 
to  meet  it.  —  That  he  should  not  go, 
^•c.  On  account  of  the  danger  of 
persecution  by  the  Jews.  Ver.  11, 
12  ;  chap.  xx.  22,  23. 

5,  6.  The  affectionate  respect 
every  where  paid  to  Paul,  clearly 
showed  hoAv  highly  his  labors  and 
sacrifices  had  been  appreciated  by 
the  disciples.  The  graphic  descrip- 
tion of  the  parting  scene  indicated 
the  presence  of  the  writer,  as  is  ex- 
pressed by  the  use  of  the  first  person 
plural.  —  With  wives  and  children. 
These  belonged  to  tlie  Tyrians,  not 
to  Paul  and  his  company. 

7.  Ptolemais.  —  A  city  of  Pales- 
tine, on  the  Mediterranean,  about 
thirty  miles  south  of  Tyre,  and  near 
Mount  Carmel.  Its  ancient  name 
was   Accho,  Judg.  i.  31,  but   it  re- 


278 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


And  the  next  day  we  that  were  of  Paul's  company  departed,  and  8 
came  unto  Cesarea;  and  we  entered  into  the  house  of  Philip  the 
evangelist,  which  was  one  of  the  seven;    and  abode  with  him. 
And   the   same   man   had    four   daughters,  virgins,    which   did  9 

prophesy. And  as  we  tarried  there  many  days,  there  came  10 

down  from  Judea  a  certain  prophet,  named  Agabus.     And  when  11 
he  was  come  unto  us,  he  took  Paul's  girdle,  and  bound  his  own 
hands  and  feet,  and  said,  Thus  saith  the  Holy  Ghost,  So  shall 
the  Jews  at  Jerusalem  bind  the  man  that  owneth  this  girdle,  and 
shall  deliver  him  into  the  hands  of  the  Gentiles.     And  when  we  12 
heard  these  things,  both  we,  and  they  of  that  place,  besought 
him  not  to  go  up  to  Jerusalem.     Then  Paul  answered,  What  13 
mean  ye  to  weep,  and  to  break  my  heart  1    for  I  am  ready  not  to 
be  bound  only,  but  also  to  die  at  Jerusalem  for  the  name  of  the 
Lord  Jesus.     And  when  he  would  not  be  persuaded,  we  ceased,  14 


ceived  the  name  of  Ptolemais  from 
Ptolemy,  the  first  king  of  Egypt,  and, 
in  the  time  of  the  crusades,  it  was 
called  Acre,  or  St.  Jean  d'Acre,  from 
a  magnificent  church  dedicated  to 
St.  John.  It  has  been  tlie  perpetual 
theatre  of  war,  constituting  as  it  does 
the  key  of  Syria;  and,  even  with- 
in a  few  years,  it  was  drenched  in 
blood  in  the  war  between  Egypt  and 
Turkey ;  and,  in  1840,  in  a  contest 
between  the  allied  English  and  Aus- 
trian fleets  and  the  troops  of  Mu- 
hammed  Aly,  a  magazine  exploded 
and  killed  the  gamson,  and  laid  the 
town  in  ruins.  Robinson  now  calls 
it  'Mka. 

8,  9.  Cesarea.  Chap.  viii.  40.  — 
Philip^  the  Evangelist.  See  chap.  vi. 
5,  and  chap.  viii.  26-40.  The  term 
Evangelist  signified  a  preacher  who 
had  the  care  of  no  single  church,  but 
preached  the  gospel  from  place  to 
place.  —  One  of  the  seven,  i.  e.  dea- 
cons, as  generally  called.  Chap.  vi. 
3-5.  —  JVhich  did  prophesy.  Or, 
discharge  the  office  of  Christian 
teachers,  either  witli  or  without  the 
special  guidance  of  the  Spirit.  Chap. 
ii.  ]7. 

10.  Agabus.     See  chap.  xi.  28. 


11.  Took  PauVs  girdle,  &fc.  An 
emblematic  action,  of  which  there 
are  several  specimens  in  the  New 
Testament  as  well  as  the  Old.  John 
xiii.  12-14,  XX.  22.  — Thus  saith 
the  Holy  Ghost,  i.  e.  a  revelation  Avas 
shown  him  by  God  of  what  would 
befall  the  apostles.  Still  it  was  left 
optional  with  him  to  encounter  these 
dangers  or  not. 

12,  13.  Besought  him  not  to  go  up. 
Mat.  xvi.  22.  If  there  had  been  a 
positive  command  to  go,  obedience 
would  be  necessary ;  but  he  was  left 
free.  —  To  iveep  and  break  my  heart. 
He  had  a  solemn  duty  which  he  de- 
termined to  do,  and  therefore  depre- 
cated the  intercessions  of  his  friends, 
Avhich  only  distracted  his  mind,  and 
harrowed  up  his  feelings,  when  he 
needed  the  full  strengtli  of  his  reso- 
lution, and  encouragement  rather 
than  dissuasion.  —  1  am  ready,  S^c 
This  noble  courage  he  elsewhere  ex 
pressed,  and  always  exhibited,  until 
at  last  he  fell  a  martyr  to  the  cause 
of  Christ.  2  Cor.  xii.  15.  —  The 
name,  i.  e.  the  gospel,  the  religion  of 
Jesus. 

14.  The  will  of  the  Lord  be  done. 
They  ceased  from  further  expostula- 


XXL] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


279 


15  saying,  The  will  of  the  Lord  be  done. And  after  those  days 

16  we  took  up  our  carriages,  and  went  up  to  Jerusalem.  There 
went  with  us  also  certain  of  the  disciples  of  Cesarea,  and  brought 
with  them  one  Mnason  of  Cyprus,  an  old  disciple,  with  whom  we 
should  lodge. 

17  And  when  we  were  come  to  Jerusalem,  the  brethren  received 

18  us  gladly.     And  the  day  following  Paul  went  in  with  us  unto 

19  James :  and  all  the  elders  were  present.  And  when  he  had 
saluted   them,  he   declared   particularly  what   things  God    had 

20  wrought  among  the  Gentiles  by  his  ministry.  And  when  they 
heard  it^  they  glorified  the  Lord,  and  said  unto  him,  Thou  seest, 
brother,  how  many  thousands  of  Jews  there  are  which  believe; 


tion,  and  acquiesced  in  his  determi- 
nation, only  praying  that  the  will  of 
God  might  be  done,  —  that,  whatever 
course  was.taken,  the  divine  pleasure 
might  be  furthered.  In  trial,  doubt, 
and  fear,  what  a  blessed  support,  to 
fall  back  upon  the  arm  of  the  Father, 
and  feel  it  underneath  us. 

15.  We  took  up  our  carriages.  All 
one  participle  in  Greek,  rendered  by 
many,  "taking  up  our  baggage,  or 
making  ourselves  ready  ; "  for  tliere 
is  no  reference  whatever  to  "car- 
riages," in  the  modern  sense  of  that 
word  ;  but  it  was  used  in  the  time  of 
our  translators  to  signify  what  was 
carried.  1  Sam.  xvii.  22 ;  Is.  x.  28. 
The  better  version,  however,  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  sense  of  the  origi- 
nal, is  that  of  Palfrey,  Robinson, 
and  others,  "  divesting  ourselves  of 
our  baggage,"  perhaps  leaving  part 
of  it  behind,  as  a  needless  incum- 
brance. 

16.  Brought  vnth  them  one  Mnason, 
Sfc.  The  latter  part  of  this  verse 
would  be  better  expressed  thus: 
"  Bringing  us  to  Mnason,  of  Cyprus, 
an  old  disciple,  with  whom  we  should 
lodge."  Mnason  was  not  their  fel- 
low-traveller, but  they  were  conduct- 
ed to  his  house  to  lodge.  Hospitality 
Avas  an  urgent  duty  of  that  trying 
period.  —  »^n  old  disciple.    Not,  per- 


in  age,  but  in  time  of  profes- 
sion —  being,  as  some  suppose,  a  con- 
vert of  Christ  during  his  ministry. 

17.  Come  to  Jerusalem.  For  the 
previous  journeys  of  Paul  to  Jerusa- 
lem, after  his  conversion,  see  chap, 
ix.  26,  xi.  30,  xv.  4,  xviii.  21,  22.  — 
Received  us  gladly.  Their  success- 
ful labors,  the  contributions  they 
brought  from  distant  churches  to  re- 
lieve the  poor  at  Jerusalem,  and  their 
safe  arrival,  all  produced  a  glow  of 
warm  and  friendly  gladness. 

18,  19.  James.  The  stationary 
and  principal  officer  of  the  church  at 
Jerusalem.  The  other  apostles  were 
doubtless  absent.  —  The  elders.  The 
wise  and  eminent  of  the  church,  who 
assisted  in  its  affairs  and  instruction. 
Chap.  xi.  30.  It  appears  to  have  been 
a  public  meeting  of  the  leading  men 
of  the  body.  —  Particidarly.  Or, 
"  each  one  singly  ; "  he  specified  one 
place  after  another,  and  his  success 
in  each.  He  gave  this  account,  in 
some  measure,  as  a  justification 
against  his  enemies,  and  proof  that 
he  enjoyed  the  approbation  of  God. 

20.  Glorified  the  Lord.  They 
were  not  envious  at  his  success,  but 
praised  the  Most  High  for  the  favor 
with  which  his  servant  had  been  at- 
tended. —  How  many  thousands.  Lit- 
erally, "  myriads,  tens  of  thousands." 


280  THE  AC'J'S  [Chap. 

and  they  are  all  zealous  of  the  law :    and  they  are  informed  of  21 
thee,  that  thou  teachest  all  the  Jews  which  are  among  the  Gen- 
tiles to  forsake  Moses,  saying,  That  they  ought  not  to  circum- 
cise their  children,  neither  to  walk  after  the  customs.     What  is  22 
it  therefore  1    the  multitude  must  needs  come  together  :  for  they 
will  hear  that  thou  art  come.     Do  therefore  this  that  we  say  to  23 
thee  :  We  have  four  men  which  have  a  vow  on  them  ;  them  take,  24 
and  purify  thyself  with  them,  and  be  at  charges  with  them,  that 
they  may  shave  their  heads:  and  all  may  know  that  those  things 
whereof  they  were  informed  concerning  thee,  are  nothing ;   but 


Chap.  ii.  41,  iv.  4.  During  the  pe- 
riod of  nearly  twenty-five  years,  since 
the  conversion  of  Paul,  the  converts 
had  very  much  increased  in  the  holy 
city.  — All  zealous  of  the  law.  They 
were  Jewish  Christians,  and  beheved 
in  the  perpetuity  of  the  Mosaic  law, 
and  were  zealous  of  its  observance, 
the  more  so  as  they  felt  that  it  was 
in  danger  of  being  superseded.  In 
fact,  the  Jewish  ritual  was  naturally 
observed,  even  by  the  Christian  con- 
verts, until  the  fall  of  tlie  city  and 
temple  rendered  its  longer  fulfilment, 
in.  a  great  measure,  impracticable. 
Whitby  quotes  various  authors  to 
show  how  intense  was  the  zeal  of  the 
Jews  in  general  for  their  law,  and 
that  they  would  rather  die  than  for- 
feit their  character  as  its  faithful  ob- 
servers. 

21,  22.  The  long  imprisonment  of 
Paul  at  Jerusalem  and  elsewhere, 
and  his  being  sent  to  Rome,  were  of 
so  much  consequence  in  his  history, 
that  Luke  gives  a  minute  account  of 
the  events  which  caused  his  first  ar- 
rest. —  To  forsake  Moses.  In  Greek, 
"  apostasy  from  Moses."  —  The  cus- 
toms, i.  e.  of  sacrifices,  festivals,  and 
observances  of  tlie  Mosaic  ritual. 
The  falsity  of  these  rumors  was  very 
plain,  when  it  was  remembered  that 
Paul  had  circumcised  Timothy,  ob- 
served a  Jewish  vow,  and  had  now 
come  to  Jerusalem  to  attend  one  of 
the  great  national  feasts.    Chap.  xvi. 


3,  xviii.  18,  XX.  16.  Besides,  what 
he  had  taught  respecting  the  non-ob- 
servance of  the  law,  had  been  to  the 
Gentiles,  not  to  the  Jews,  agreeably 
to  the  apostolic  decrees  of  chap.  xv. 
28,  29.  He  yielded  something  to  his 
countrymen  for  their  zea^  for  old  in- 
stitutions, since  he  had  himself  felt 
it,  and  would  therefore  do  nothing  to 
break  the  bonds  of  Christian  charity, 
or  cause  the  weakest  brother  to  of- 
fend or  fall.  Rom.  xiv. ;  1  Cor.  ix. 
20.  But  these  malicious  reports  had, 
as  is  usual,  rather  gained  than  lost, 
in  tlieir  circulation  from  tongue  to 
tongue,  and  the  apostle  found  him- 
self charged  with  the  gravest  offences 
against  the  devout  feelings  of  his  na- 
tion. —  What  is  it,  &fc.  What  must 
be  done  ?  —  The  multitude  viust  needs 
come  together.  There  would  be  a  tu- 
multuous meeting  of  the  people  at 
large  as  soon  as  it  was  known  that 
Paul  was  in  Jerusalem. 

23,  24.  Do,  therefore,  this.  For 
the  sake  of  conciliation,  and  to  show 
practically  tliat  he  did  not  despise 
the  law.  However  laudable  was  the 
motive,  the  expedient  did  not  suc- 
ceed, but  proved  the  occasion  of  the 
subsequent  tumult.  Their  words  were 
clearly  those  of  advice,  not  of  com-- 
mand.  —  We  have  four  men.  It  seems, 
the  men  were  disciples  of  their  com- 
munity. —  Have  a  voiv  upon  them. 
Vows  were  fi-equent  among  the  Jews, 
especially  what  was  called  the  vow 


XXL] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


281 


25  that  thou  thyself  also  walkest  orderly,  and  keepest  the  law.  As 
touching  the  Gentiles  which  believe,  we  have  written  and  con- 
cluded that  they  observe  no  such  thing,  save  only  that  they  keep 
themselves  from  things  offered  to  idols,  and  from  blood,  and  from 

26  things  strangled,  and  from  fornication. Then  Paul  took  the 

men,  and  the  next  day  purifying  himself  with  them,  entered  into 
the  temple,  to  signify  the  accomplishment  of  the  days  of  purifi- 
cation, until  that  an  offering  should  be  offered  for  every  one  of 
them. 

27  And  when  the  seven  days  were  almost  ended,  the  Jews,  which 
were  of  Asia,  when  they  saw  him  in  the  temple,  stirred  up  all  the 


of  the  Nazarite,  Num.  vi.,  which  was 
probably  the  one  here  meant.  Jose- 
phus,  speaking  of  a  vow  made  by 
Bernice,  says, "  It  is  customary  for 
those  wlio  have  been  afflicted  with 
some  distemper,  or  have  labored 
under  any  other  difficulties,  to  make 
a  vow,  thirty  days  before  they  offer 
sacrifices,  to  abstain  from  wine,  and 
shave  the  hair  of  their  head."  The 
time,  however,  varied  according  to 
the  will  of  the  subject.  —  Purify  thy- 
self, ^c,  i.  e.  observe  the  precept  of 
abstinence  from  wine,  and  other 
things ;  keep  thyself  pure,  according 
to  the  vow.  —  Be  at  charges  ivith  them. 
There  were  some  heavy  expenses  in- 
curred by  the  Nazarite,  for  sacrifices 
of  various  kinds ;  and,  in  accordance 
with  the  usual  practice  of  rendering 
pecuniary  aid  on  such  occasions, 
which  was  deemed  an  act  of  g-reat 
piety,  they  propose  to  Paul  to  give 
his  assistance  in  the  present  instance, 
and  thus  vindicate  his  name  from  as- 
persions. —  That  they  may  shave,  ^'c. 
As  shaving  the  hair  was  the  final  act 
of  the  vow,  this  phrase  came  to  stand 
for  its  completion.  Thus  Josephus 
says,  that,  when  Herod  Agrippa  came 
to  Jerusalem  to  assume  the  kingdom, 
"he  offered  up  sacrifices  of  thanks- 
giving, and  omitted  nothing  that  was 
prescribed  by  the  law.  For  which 
reason,  he  also  ordered  a  good  num- 
ber of  Nazarites  to  be  shaved,"  or 
24* 


aided  them  to  make  the  necessary 
offerings,  and  complete  their  vow.  — 
Walkest  orderly,  &fc.  This  would  be 
a  practical  demonstration  of  the  apos- 
tle's respect  for  Jewish  usages  which 
could  not  be  gainsaid. 

25.  They  here  make  the  reasona- 
ble exception  in  favor  of  the  Gentile 
converts,  and  refer  to  the  letter  mis- 
sive which  had  been  sent  out  with 
that  purport.     Chap.  xv.  20,  29. 

26.  Paul  took  the  men,  S^c.  He 
hearkened  to  their  advice,  for  the  sake 
of  conciliation  and  the  correction  of 
false  and  slanderous  reports.  In  thus 
doing,  he  compromised  no  principle, 
but  yielded  to  a  usage  he  knew  was 
not  essential,  for  the  good  of  others 
and  of  the  church.  It  was  a  case  of 
what  might  be  called  Christian  ex- 
pediency. Paul  took  on  him  the  vow 
for  seven  days,  ver.  27,  kept  himself 
pure  from  all  things  unclean,  enter- 
ed into  the  temple,  and  signified  his 
purpose  to  the  priests,  and  informed 
them  when  the  vow  would  be  com- 
pleted, and  it  would  be  proper  to 
make  tiie  needful  offerings  for  each 
person.  The  sacrifices  are  detailed 
in  Num.  vi.  13-17. 

27.  Seven  days.  Chap.xxiv.  1, 11. 
—  TVie  Jews  tvhich  were  of  Asia.  Not 
of  Asia  Minor,  but  of  that  portion  of 
it  called  Proconsular  Asia,  of  which 
Ephesus  was  the  capital,  and  the  in- 
habitants of  which  would  be  likely  to 


i382 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


people,  and  laid  hands  on  him,  crying  out,  Men  of  Israel,  help.  28 
This  is  the  man  that  teacheth  all  men  every  where  against  the 
people,  and  the  law,  and  this  place :  and  further,  brought  Greeks 
also  into  the  temple;   and  hath  polluted  this  holy  place.     (For  29 
they  had  seen  before  with  him  in  the  city,  Trophimus,  an  Ephe- 
sian,  whom  they  supposed  that  Paul  had  brought  into  the  tem- 
ple.)    And  all  the  city  was  moved,  and  the  people  ran  together:  30 
and  they  took  Paul  and  drew  him  out  of  the  temple.     And  forth- 
with the  doors  were  shut.     And  as  they  went  about  to  kill  him,  31 
tidings  came  unto  the  chief  captain  of  the  band,  that  all  Jerusa- 


recognize  one  from  their  own  city. 
Ver.  29. 

28.  Men  of  Israel^  help.  A  short 
watchword  to  rouse  the  populace.  — 
Against  the  people,  Sfc.  It  is  easy  to 
see  how  the  disinterested  labors  of 
the  apostle,  for  the  salvation  of  the 
Gentiles,  had  been  tortured  into  these 
black  charges ;  though  he  had  not 
spoken  against  the  people,  unless  it 
were  for  their  bigotry  and  exclusive- 
ness ;  nor  against  the  law,  except 
that  it  was  not  binding  upon  Gentile 
disciples,  nor  in  itself  of  eternal  ob- 
ligation upon  the  Jews  ;  nor  against 
that  place,  except  to  teach  that  pure 
worship  was  acceptable  to  God, 
wherever  offered,  and  that,  for  her 
sins,  the  holy  city  already  tottered  to 
her  fall.  —  Brought  Gentiles  also  in- 
to the  temple.  This  was  a  most  crim- 
inal offence,  punishable  with  death. 
There  was  a  court  of  the  Gentiles, 
so  called,  within  the  precincts  of  the 
temple,  into  which  they  were  allowed 
free  admittance;  but,  beyond  that, 
into  the  holy  place,  or  court  of  the 
Israelites,  they  were  not  suffered  to 
penetrate,  and  inscriptions  were  writ- 
ten upon  the  pillars,  in  the  current 
languages,  forbidding  any  but  a  Jew 
to  cross  the  fatal  threshold,  as  being 
unclean,  and  tending  to  desecrate 
the  sanctuary  of  the  Most  High.  — 
This  holy  place.  This  was  an  in- 
terior court,  in  which  some  of  the 
sacred  things  of  the  temple,  as  the 


altar  of  incense,  golden  table  and  can- 
dlesticks, were  deposited  and  used. 
The  Gentiles  were  not  allowed  to 
enter  this,  nor  the  chel  or  inclosure 
before  it.  Philo  says  that  it  was  cer- 
tain death  for  any  one,  who  was  not 
a  Jew,  to  set  his  foot  within  the  in- 
ner courts  of  the  temple. 

29.  Trophimus.  Chap.  xx.  4. — 
Supposed.  This  word  is  emphatic. 
They  supposed  that  to  be  done  which 
was  not  done  in  reality ;  and,  on  the 
strength  of  mere  conjecture,  con- 
vulsed the  whole  city,  and  beset  the 
innocent  apostle,  to  put  him  to  death. 
Griesbach,  as  well  as  the  received 
text,  makes  this  verse  parenthetical, 
as  it  is  simply  thrown  in  by  way  of 
explanation  of  ver.  28. 

30.  The  people  ran.  Descriptive 
of  a  mob,  its  haste,  and  headlong 
zeal.  —  Drew  him  out.  Paul  had  en- 
tered in  for  the  fulfilment  of  a  reli- 
gious duty,  and  the  people  then  drew 
him  out  of  the  temple  tliat  they  might 
not  further  desecrate  it  by  the  blood 
of  the  offender,  which  they  were 
about  to  shed.  —  The  doors  ivere  shut. 
To  keep  out  of  the  sacred  places  the 
violence  of  the  people,  and  the  pol- 
lution of  blood,  as  well  as  to  exclude 
Paul  and  his  associates. 

31.  Ahoiit  to  kill  him.  Not  legal- 
ly, or  morally,  but  in  the  rage  of  un- 
governable feelings.  A  Gentile,  pen- 
etrating the  sacred  edifice  beyond  the 
allotted  point,  was  liable  to  be  sum- 


XXL] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


283 


32  lem  was  in  an  uproar ;  who  immediately  took  soldiers  and  centu- 
rions, and  ran  down  unto  them.     And  when  they  saw  the  chief 

33  captain  and  the  soldiers,  they  left  beating  of  Paul.  Then  the 
chief  captain  came  near  and  took  him,  and  commanded  liim  to 
be  bound  with  two  chains  :  and  demanded  who  he  was,  and  what 

34  he  had  done.  And  some  cried  one  thing,  some  another,  among 
the  multitude :  and  when  he  could  not  know  the  certainty  for 
the  tumult,  he  commanded  him   to  be  carried  into  the  castle. 

35  And  when  he  came  upon  the  stairs,  so  it  was  that  he  was  borne 

36  of  the  soldiers,  for  the  violence  of  the  people.     For  the  multi- 

37  tude  of  the  people  followed  after,  crying,  Away  with  him.  And 
as  Paul  was  to  be  led  into  the  castle,  he  said  unto  the  chief 
captain.  May  I  speak  unto  thee  1    Who  said,  Canst  thou  speak 

38  Greek  1    Art  not  thou  that  Egyptian,  which  before  these  days 


marily  put  to  death  ;  and  the  people 
proceeded  to  inflict  the  same  pun- 
ishment on  Paul,  for  having  been  in- 
strumental, as  they  said,  of  conduct- 
ing in  a  Gentile.  —  Chief  captain  of 
Vie  band.  A  Roman  officer,  or  trib- 
une, usually  in  command  of  one  thou- 
sand men,  according  to  his  title, 
Miliarch.  He  was  in  charge  of  the 
garrison  in  the  citadel  of  Antonia, 
near  the  temple.  It  appears,  fi-om 
chap,  xxiii.  2(3,  that  his  name  was 
Claudius  Lysias.  Had  he  not  inter- 
posed, Paul,  probably,  would  have 
perished  in  the  mob.  Chap,  xxiii.  27. 
.32.  TJie.y  left  beating.  They  were 
arrested  in  their  murderous  purposes 
by  tlie  strong  ann  of  Roman  pow- 
er. The  Jews  were  so  turbulent, 
especially  upon  the  great  festival  oc- 
casion, that  a  large  military  force  was 
always  kept  in  readiness,  near  at 
hand,  to  repress  popular  tumults. 

33.  Bound  ivith  two  chains.  Ver. 
11,  chap.  xii.  6.  To  give  the  fierce 
populace  assurance  that  the  prisoner 
would  be  kept  in  safety,  and  to  se- 
cure him  for  further  trial.  He  ap- 
pears, also,  to  have  bound  Paul,  un- 
der the  impression  that  he  was  a  fa- 
mous insurgent  of  tlie  times.  Ver.  38. 

34.  A  vivid  portrait  of  a  mob.  See 


chaj).  xix.  32,  and  note.  —  The  castle. 
Of  Antonia,  situated  nortli  of  the  tem- 
ple, originally  erected  by  the  Macca- 
bees, and  called  Baris,  but  rebuilt  by 
Herod  the  Great,  with  much  splen- 
dor and  many  conveniences,  for  the 
soldiers  stationed  in  it,  and  named 
after  Mark  Antony.  Its  strength  as 
a  fortress  was  great,  and  it  was  so 
situated  as  to  command  the  temple. 

35.  Stairs.  From  the  outer  court 
of  the  temple,  to  ascend  to  the  castle. 
—  He  was  borne  of  the  soldiers.  To 
escape  the  fury  of  the  populace,  the 
soldiers  took  Paul  up  and  carried 
Inm. 

3(3,  37.  Away  with  him,  i.  e.  to  put 
him  to  death,  either  by  a  riotous  as- 
sault, or  a  regular  execution.  Mat. 
xxvii.  22,  23  ;  John  xix.  15.  —  Canst 
thou  speak  Greek  ?  Paul  addressed 
him  in  that  language,  which  sur- 
prised him,  as  he  supposed  him  to  be 
an  Egyptian.  Ver.  38.  The  officer 
himself  was  probably  a  Greek,  from 
his  name,  Lysias,  and  from  his  hav- 
ing purchased  Roman  citizenship. 
Ciiap.  xxii.  28. 

38.  That  Egyptian,  fyc.  Josephus 
relates  a  similar  history,  that  serves 
very  strongly  to  corroborate  this 
statement    He  mentions  this  Egyp- 


284 


THE   ACTS 


[Chap. 


madest  an  uproaf,  and  leddest  out  into  the  wilderness  four  thou- 
sand men  that  were  murderers  ?  But  Paul  said,  I  am  a  man  39 
which  am  a  Jew  of  Tarsus,  a  city  in  Cilicia,  a  citizen  of  no 
mean  city :  and  I  beseech  thee  suifer  me  to  speak  unto  the 
people.  And  when  he  had  given  him  license,  Paul  stood  on  the  40 
stairs,  and  beckoned  with  the  hand  unto  the  people.  And  when 
there  was  made  a  great  silence,  he  spake  unto  them  in  the 
Hebrew  tongue,  saying, 


tian  —  a  Jew,  from  Egypt  —  as  is 
supposed,  twice :  once  in  his  Jewish 
Wars,  and  once  in  his  Antiquities, 
though  he  differs  respecting  the  num- 
ber of  his  followers  in  the  two  nar- 
ratives —  in  one  stating  them  to  be 
thirty  thousand,  and  that  a  great 
number  of  those  with  him  were  either 
slain  or  taken  prisoners ;  and  in  the 
other,  that  there  were  four  hundred 
slain,  and  two  hundred  taken  prison- 
ers, which  would  be  but  a  small  part 
of  thirty  thousand,  the  leader  him- 
self escaping.  But  Lardner,  copy- 
ing from  Ward,  reconciles  Josephus 
with  Luke  and  with  himself,  by  sup- 
posing that  the  "  four  thousand  "  of 
this  verse  were  from  Jerusalem,  and 
were  joined  in  the  wilderness  by  oth- 
ers, making  in  all  thirty  tliousand,  ac- 
cording to  the  Jewish  historian  ;  and 
that  the  most  of  these  dispersed 
upon  the  approach  of  danger,  and 
that  the  party  which  fled  in  company 
with  their  leader,  or,  as  Josephus 
says,  "  were  with  the  Egyptian,"  had 
four  hundred  killed  and  two  hundred 
seized  as  prisoners.  Having  recon- 
ciled these  variances,  Lardner  re- 
marks that  the  accounts  agree  in  the 
use  of  the  term,  the.  Egyptian,  or  that 
Egyptian ;  in  the  time,  as  during  the 
government  of  Felix  over  Judea  ;  in 
3ie  fact  that  the  rebel  led  his  troops 
out  into  the  wilderness,  "  persuading 
a  good  number  of  the  meaner  sort  of 
people  to  follow  him,"  under  promise 
that  the  walls  of  Jerusalem  would 
fall  at  his  command,  and  entrance  be 
given  him  into  the  city;  and  that, 


when  attacked  by  the  troops  of  Fe- 
lix, the  Egyptian  escaped,  as  is  im- 
plied in  the  question  of  the  chief  cap- 
tain, "  Art  thou  that,"  &c.  —  Mur- 
derers. Sicarii,  in  the  Greek,  so 
called  from  their  wearing  short  pon- 
iards or  daggers,  [sica,)  with  which 
they  were  accustomed  to  assassinate 
any  that  fell  under  their  odium.  This 
class  of  persons  multiplied  exceed- 
ingly in  Judea  during  the  civil  tu- 
mults and  wars  of  that  period,  until 
they  constituted  a  species  of  organ- 
ized banditti  —  the  guerilla  bands  of 
Palestine. 

39.  A  Jew  of  Tarsus.  Chap.  ix. 
11,  30,  xi.  25.  —  No  mean  city.  Tar- 
sus was  the  capital  of  Cilicia,  and 
famous  for  its  schools  of  philosophy, 
and  the  high  refinement  and  wealth 
of  its  people.  Xenophon,  in  his  An- 
abasis, calls  Tarsus  "a  great  and 
flourishing  city ; "  and  Josephus  says 
that  "  it  was  the  metropolis  and  most 
renowned  city  among  them,"  the  Ci- 
licians. 

40.  Beckoned  ivith  the  hand.  To 
still  the  noise  of  the  people,  and 
give  him  an  opportunity  to  address 
them.  The  division  of  chapters,  by 
which  the  twenty  first  closes  with  a 
comma,  breaks  the  sense,  according 
to  the  usual  habit  of  reading.  Ken- 
rick  notices  the  self-command  of  the 
apostle,  in  addressing  the  people  so 
soon  after  the  tumult  and  injuries  he 
had  received,  and  his  earnestness  to 
seize  every  opportunity  to  preach  the 
gospel  and  do  good. 

The  lofty  heroism  of  Paul,  in  pur- 


XXIL] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


285 


CHAPTER   XXH. 

Paul  addresses  the  Jews  from  the  Steps  of  the  Castle,  and  a  Tumult  arising,  he 
is  placed  for  Safety  in  the  Castle. 

iVlEN,  brethren,  and  fathers,  hear  ye  my  defence  tvhich  I  make 

2  now  unto  you.  (And  when  they  heard  that  he  spake  in  the 
Hebrew  tongue  to  them,  they  kept  the  more  silence :    and  he 

3  saith,)  I  am  verily  a  man  ivhich  am  a  Jew,  born  in  Tarsus,  a 
city  in  Cilicia,  yet  brought  up  in  this  city  at  the  feet  of  Gama- 
liel, and  taught  according  to  the  perfect  manner  of  the  law  of 
the  fathers,  and  was  zealous  toward  God,  as  ye  all  are  this  day. 


suing  the  dangerous  path  of  duty, 
ver.  4,  11  -  13,  and  his  gentleness  in 
yielding  to  the  wishes  of  his  breth- 
ren, Avhen  it  could  be  done  without 
the  sacrifice  of  any  principle,  ver.  26 ; 
the  warm-hearted  sympathy  of  the 
Christian  flock  for  one  another,  ver. 
5,  G,  12,  13,  17,  20 ;  the  sensitiveness 
of  the  Jews  to  any  thing  that  seemed 
to  impair  their  religious  observances, 
ver.  20,  21,  28 ;  the  readiness  with 
which  they  would  break  a  high  mor- 
al law  in  vindication  of  a  ceremonial 
one,  ver.  28,  31 ;  and  the  danger  and 
evil  of  making  inferences  and  suppo- 
sitions without  facts  to  support  them, 
ver.  29,  are  a  few  of  the  topics  which 
are  suggested  to  our  meditation  in 
this  chapter. 

CHAPTER  XXH. 

1.  Men,  brethren,  and  fathers. 
Dropping  the  idiom,  "  brethren  and 
fathers,"  he  addresses  but  two  class- 
es, his  equals,  or  those  of  the  same 
age,  and  his  seniors,  or  superiors.  — 
My  defence.  Literally,  "  apolotry," 
used  in  the  sense  of  plea  or  refuta- 
tion of  charges.  —  JVoiv.  A  word  of 
conciliation,  expressive  of  a  tinge  of 
deprecation,  as  "  I  pray  you."  It 
does  not  refer  to  the  time  of  his  de- 
fence, as  rendered  by  our  translators, 
so  much  as  to  his  wish  tliat  they 
would  hear  him  candidly ;  like  our 
own  idiom,  "hear  me  now." 

2.  Hebrew  tona-ue.    The  common 


language  was  not  pure  Hebrew,  at 
this  period,  but  a  corrupted  form 
called  Syro-Chaldaic,  or  Aramean. 
Paul's  use  of  it  was  adapted  to  soothe 
the  passions  of  his  hearers,  and  gain 
a  more  favorable  ear.  He  thus  ful- 
filled the  rhetorical  and  the  Christian 
precept,  first  to  conciliate  the  good- 
will of  his  audience. 

3.  /  am  verily,  ^c.  The  same  id- 
iom of  "  man,"  as  in  ver.  1.  The 
plain  sense  is,  "  I  am  verily  a  Jew," 
and  it  would  thus  be  more  forcibly 
rendered.  In  their  fury  against  Paul, 
some  might  even  forget,  or  not  know, 
that  he  was  a  genuine  Hebrew.  — 
Tarsus.  Chap.  xxi.  39.  —  M  the  feet 
of  Gamaliel.  Some  detect  here  a 
reference  to  the  elevated  seats  of  tlie 
Jewish  teachers,  and  the  lowly  posi- 
tion of  the  scholars  ;  but  it  is  better 
understood  as  a  figure  descriptive  of 
pupilage.  Acts  iv.  35,  37,  v.  2.  He 
reminds  them  that  he  was  not  only  a 
Jew,  but  one  who  was  educated,  in 
the  midst  of  Rabbinical  light,  by  the 
greatest  teacher  of  his  age.  For  an 
account  of  Gamaliel,  see  chap.  v.  34, 
note.  —  The  perfect  inanner,  8{c.  He 
was  taught,  in  the  strictest  manner, 
tlie  doctrines  and  the  usages  of  the 
Pharisees,  and  the  law  of  Moses. 
Such  a  one  was  not  lightly  to  be  ac- 
cused of  speaking  against  the  law, 
cliap.  xxi.  28.  —  Zealous  toward 
God.  He  had  not  only  education, 
but  zeal ;  his  acquirements  were  en- 


286  THE  ACTS  [Chap. 

And  I  persecuted  this  way  unto  the  death,  binding  and  deliver-  4 
ing  into  prisons  both  men  and  women.     As  also  the  high-priest  5 
doth  bear  me  witness,  and  all  the  estate  of  the   elders;    from 
whom  also  I  received  letters  unto  the  brethren,  and  went  to 
Damascus,  to  bring  them  which  were  there  bound  unto  Jerusa- 
lem, for  to  be  punished.     And  it  came  to  pass,  that,  as  I  made  6 
my  journey,  and  was  come  nigh  unto  Damascus   about  noon, 
suddenly  there  shone  from  heaven  a  great  light  round  about  me. 
And  I  fell  unto  the  ground,  and  heard  a  voice  saying  unto  me,  7 
Saul,  Saul,  why  persecutest  thou  me?    And  I  answered.  Who  8 
art  thou.  Lord?    And  he  said  unto  me,  I  am  Jesus  of  Nazareth, 
whom  thou  persecutest.     And  they  that  were  with  me  saw  in-  9 
deed  the  light,  and  were  afraid ;    but  they  heard  not  the  voice 
of  him  that  spake  to  me.     And  I  said.  What  shall  I  do,  Lord  ?  10 
And  the  Lord  said  unto  me,  Arise,  and  go  into  Damascus,  and 
there  it  shall  be  told  thee  of  all  things  which  are  appointed  for 
thee  to  do.     And  when  I  could  not  see  for  the  glory  of  that  light,  11 
being  led  by  the  hand  of  them  that  were  with  me,  I  came  into 
Damascus.     And  one  Ananias,  a  devout  man  according  to  the  12 
law,  having  a  good  report  of  all  the  Jews  which  dwelt  there, 
came  unto   me,    and   stood,   and  said  unto  me,  Brother  Saul,  13 
receive  thy  sight.     And  the  same  hour  I  looked  up  upon  him. 
And  he  said,  The  God  of  our  fathers  hath  chosen  thee,  that  14 
thou   shouldest   know   his   will,    and   see   that    Just   One,    and 
shouldest  hear  the  voice  of  his  mouth.     For  thou  shalt  be  his  13 
witness  unto  all  men  of  what  thou  hast  seen  and  heard.     And  16 

kindled  by  a  burning  enthusiasm,  like  about  twenty  years  before  this  time, 

what  then   glowed  in  tlieir  hearts,  the  same  high-priest  and  elders  could 

Gal.  i.  14  ;  Rom.  x.  2.  not,  perhaps,  bear  Avitness  personally, 

4.  This  loay.  This  sect,  the  as  having  been  in  office  at  that  time  , 
Christians.  Chap.  vii.  58,  viii.  1,  3,  but  the  facts  were  matter  of  history, 
ix.  1,2.     He  exemplified  his  zeal  by  not  to  be  disputed. 

his   bloodthirsty  persecution  of  the        9.  Heard  not  the  voice,  i.  e.  did  not 

disciples  of  Jesus.  hear  an  articulate  voice  or  words  ; 

5  - 16.  Parallel  to  chap.  ix.  2  -  18.  but  they  did  hear  a  noise,  chap.  ix. 

5.  Doth  bear  me  imtness.  A  form  7,  and  note.  If,  however,  an  actual 
of  speech  expressive,  not  of  a  fact,  discrepancy  he  admitted,  the  truth 
but  of  a  possibility.  The  high-priest  of  the  history  is  not  thereby  shaken 
could  bear  him  witness.  —  All  the  es-  in  the  least.  Slight  variation  of  tes- 
iate  of  the  elders.  Or,  all  the  pres-  timony  is  considered  as  rather  con- 
bytery,  or  eldership,  or  sanhedrim,  firming,  than  weakening,  the  general 
As  the  conversion  of  Paul  took  place  trust-worthiness  of  a  narrative. 


XXII.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


287 


now  why  tarriest  thou  ?    arise,  and  be  baptized,  and  wash  away 

17  thy  sins,  calling  on  the  name  of  the  Lord. And  it  came  to 

pass,  that,  when  I  was  come  again  to  Jerusalem,  even  while  I 

18  prayed  in  the  temple,  I  was  in  a  trance ;   and  saw  him  saying 
unto  me,  Make  haste,  and  get  thee  quickly  out  of  Jerusalem ; 

19  for  they  will  not  receive  thy  testimony  concerning  me.     And  I 
said.  Lord,  they  know  that  I  imprisoned,  and  beat  in  every  syna- 


16.  WTiy  tarriest  thou  ?  He  urged 
the  immediate  performance  of  what 
was  felt  to  be  a  duty.  The  present 
moment  is  the  only  one  we  can  call 
our  own.  It  may  be  emphatically 
said  to  every  mortal,  "  Do  what  thou 
doest  quickly."  We  cannot  com- 
mand the  future  any  more  than  the 
past ;  "  Behold,  now  is  the  accepted 
time."  —  Wash  away  thy  sins.  As 
baptism  was  an  emblem  of  purifica- 
tion, and  indicated  repentance  and 
self-consecration,  it  was  a  sign  that 
one's  sins  were  remitted,  as  well  as 
abandoned,  and  were,  so  to  say, 
Avashed  away.  The  soul  was  cleansed. 
Heb.  X.  22,  —  Calling  on  the  name 
of  the  Lord.  Griesbach  reads,  ac- 
cording to  the  best  authorities,  "call- 
ing on  his  name."  Grotius  observes 
that  "  some  commentators  refer  the 
pronoun  his  to  Jesus ;  but  I  am  of 
opinion  that  it  more  properly  relates 
to  God  the  Father,  for  demonstra- 
tives and  relatives  often  pertain  to 
the  remote  antecedent."  But,  if  refer- 
ence be  made  to  Jesus,  it  by  no  means 
gives  a  command  or  sanction  to  the 
act  of  addressing  our  prayers  to  him 
as  God,  for  it  would  be  contrary  to 
his  own  uniform  example  and  pre- 
cepts. Those  who  saw  him  in  a  vi- 
sion, present  to  them,  as  did  Stephen, 
chap.  vii.  56,  59,  might  properly  in- 
voke him ;  but  even  that  did  not  de- 
monstrate his  deity,  for  men  put  forth 
prayers,  petitions  to  men,  to  kings,  to 
rulers,  and,  in  some  large  churches 
of  Christendom,  to  saints,  angels,  and 
the  Virgin  Mary,  without  any  impli- 
cation like  the  one  just  stated.     The 


meaning  of  the  phrase  in  question 
probably  is,  "to  be  called  by  the 
name  of  tlie  Lord,  or  to  call  upon, 
one's  self,  that  name."  Paul  was  ex- 
horted to  receive  baptism  and  the 
Christian  name,  become  the  avowed 
follower  of  the  Messiah,  and  assume 
that  odious  and  despised  designation. 
Chap.  XV.  17 ;  Rom.  x.  12  - 14 ;  1  Cor. 
i.  2 ;  2  Tim.  ii.  22;  Heb.  xi.  16;  Jas. 
ii.  7. 

17.  Come  again  to  Jerusalem. 
Chap.  ix.  26.  After  an  interval  of 
about  three  years,  since  his  conver- 
sion, passed  in  Arabia,  Gal.  i.  17,  18, 
he  revisited  the  holy  city.  —  Prayed 
in  the  temple.  Showing  that  he  con- 
tinued to  pay  respect  to  the  temple 
after  he  embraced  the  gospel,  and 
thus  indirectly  silencing  their  charge. 
Chap.  xxi.  28.  —  Trance.  Ecstasy, 
vision.  There  was  first  the  preter- 
natural, or  ecstatic,  state  of  mind,  — 
and  then  a  vision,  or  symbolical  rev- 
elation, was  disclosed  to  the  mind,  in 
that  state.  See  Farmer  on  Christ's 
Temptation,  p.  70,  n. 

18.  Saw  him,  i.  e.  Jesus,  mentally, 
spiritually.  —  They  ivill  not  receive  thy 
testimony  concerning  me.  Paul  was 
admonished  that  it  would  be  in  vain 
for  him  to  bear  his  testimony  to  Je- 
sus before  the  hardened  Jews,  for 
they  would  reject  both  the  message 
and  the  messenger;  but  that  a  far 
more  promising  field  of  labor  was 
opened  in  the  Gentile  world. 

19.  20.  Paul  reasons  the  matter. 
There  were  peculiar  considerations 
why  the  Jews  should  hear  his  testi- 
mony rather  than  that  of  any  other 


288 


THE  ACTS 


[Ghap. 


gogue  them  that  believed  on  thee:    and  when  the  blood  of  thy  20 
martyr  Stephen  was  shed,  I  also  was  standing  by,  and  consenting 
unto  his  death,   and  kept  the  raiment  of  them  that  slew  him. 
And  he  said  unto  me,  Depart :   for  I  will  send  thee  far  hence  21 
unto  the  Gentiles. 

And  they  gave  him  audience  unto  this  word,  and  then  lifted  22 
up  their  voices,  and  said.  Away  with  such  a  fellow  from  the 
earth :   for  it  is  not  fit  that  he  should  live.     And  as  they  cried  23 
out,  and  cast  off  tlieir  clothes,  and  threw  dust  into  the  air,  the  24 
chief  captain  commanded  him  to  be  brought  into  the  castle,  and 
bade  that  he  should  be  examined  by  scourging;  that  he  might 


one ;  for  they  knew  how  ferocious 
and  energetic  he  had  been  in  per- 
secuting the  disciples,  even  from  the 
first  martyrdom ;  and  he  inferred  that 
his  testimony  on  the  other  side  would 
carry  a  double  weight.  But  he  was 
assured  that  his  hopes  Avere  in  vain. 
—  In  every  synagogue.  So  it  had 
been  predicted  by  Jesus.  See  note 
on  Mat.  X.  17.  —  Martyr.      Witness. 

21.  Far  hence  unto  the  Gentiles. 
He  had  been  selected,  from  the  first, 
as  the  apostle  to  the  Gentiles.  Chap, 
ix.  15,  16.  He  was  peculiarly  fitted, 
both  by  nature  and  by  education,  for 
this  sublime  errand  of  carrying  "  the 
good  news  of  great  joy,"  from  place 
to  place,  throughout  the  heathen 
world.  The  command,  or  intention, 
is  simply  repeated,  as  needing  no  ar- 
gument, coming  from  such  a  source 
as  prechided  error. 

22,  23.  Gave  him  audience.  Lis- 
tened to  him.  —  Unto  this  ivord.  Un- 
to the  word  "  Gentiles ; "  that  in- 
stantly kindled,  like  a  spark  upon 
tinder,  their  previous  rage,  which  had 
been  suppressed  for  a  few  moments 
by  the  apostle's  speech.  Col.  i.  24 ; 
Eph.  iv.  1,  3,  show  tliat  he  was,  as 
here  stated,  called  particularly  to 
suffer  for  the  sake  of  the  Gentiles, 
for  that  "  mystery,"  or  secret  —  tlieir 
introduction  into  tlie  kingdom  of 
heaven.  Without  waiting  to  hear 
the  rest  of  his  justification,  they  pre- 


sumed, from  that  Avord,  that  all  the 
charges  against  him  Avere  true,  and 
gave  Avay  to  the  most  violent  pas- 
sions. We  have  a  signal  illustration 
here  of  the  intense  pride  and  bigotry 
of  many  of  the  Jews.  Nothing  was 
too  bad  to  say,  or  do,  to  defend,  as 
they  supposed,  their  religion.  Mur- 
der, falsehood,  revenge,  became  law- 
ful instruments  to  promote  that  ob- 
ject The  end,  in  their  eyes,  justi- 
fied the  means.  Has  not  history,  in 
Cliiistian  lands,  presented  us  with 
too  many  counterparts  of  this  old 
Jewish  theologicum  odium,  theologi- 
cal hate  ?  —  Cned  out  —  cast  off  their 
clothes  —  threiv  dust.  All  impassioned 
signs  of  popular  fury,  made  in  fur- 
therance of  the  uproar.  They  man- 
ifested the  disposition,  if  they  had  the 
power,  to  put  Paul  to  an  instant  death. 
2  Sam.  xvi.  13.  It  is  related,  by  trav- 
ellers in  Arabia  and  Persia,  that  sim- 
ilar methods  of  demanding  justice,  or 
some  gratification  of  their  passions, 
from  tlieir  chiefs  or  princes,  exist 
among  the  people,  to  this  day ;  that 
tliey  collect  in  great  numbers,  utter 
the  most  horrid  cries,  tear  their  gar- 
ments, and  cast  dust  into  the  air,  un- 
til their  request  is  granted. 

24.  The  castle.  Of  Antonia,  upon 
the  steps  of  Avhich  they  had  been 
standing  during  Paul's  address. — 
Examined  by  scourging.  A  techni- 
cal phrase  of  judicature,  meaning  tx> 


XXIL] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


25  know  wherefore  they  cried  so  against  him.  And  as  they  bound 
him  with  thongs,  Paul  said  unto  the  centurion  that  stood  by,  Is 
it  lawful  for  you  to  scourge  a  man  that  is  a  Roman,  and  uncon- 

26  demned  ?  When  the  centurion  heard  that,  he  went  and  told 
the  chief  captain,  saying.  Take  heed  what  thou  doest ;   for  this 

27  man  is  a  Roman.     Then  the  chief  captain  came,  and  said  unto 

28  him,  Tell  me,  art  thou  a  Roman?  He  said,  Yea.  And  the 
chief  captain  answered.  With  a  great  sum  obtained  I  this  free- 

29  dom.     And  Paul  said.  But  I  was  yrcc-born.     Then  straightway 


be  tortured  to  exact  a  confession. 
This  abomination  of  endeavoring  to 
make  a  prisoner  criminate  himself  by 
the  extremity  of  dreadful  agonies, 
the  most  unjust  and  insane  of  all 
modes  to  test  innocence  and  detect 
guilt,  has,  in  some  form,  polluted  the 
pages  of  modern  statute-books  in  al- 
most every  nation  of  Europe.  The 
old  ferocious  barbarism  of  heathen 
ages  still  lingers  too  much  around 
the  prisons  and  gallows  of  Christen- 
dom. The  gospel  is  but  just  begin- 
ning to  reach  the  prisoner,  and  send 
its  mild  sunbeam  into  his  cold,  dark 
cell,  and  darker,  colder  heart.  —  That 
he  might  know,  S,'c.  Ignorant  of  the 
language  of  Paul,  and  of  the  cause 
of  the  tremendous  excitement  of  the 
populace,  and  supposing  that  he  was 
guilty  of  some  enormity,  the  only  ex- 
pedient Avhich  suggested  itself  to  his 
mind  was  the  usual  coarse  and  bru- 
tal means  to  extort  a  confession. 

25.  ./?5  ihejj  bound  him  loiih  thongs. 
Prepn.ratory  to  scourging,  the  soldiers 
usually  bound  the  poor  victim  to  an 
upright  pillar,  so  as  to  confine  the 
body,  and  expose  the  back  more  di- 
rectly to  the  blows.  —  To  scourge  a 
man  that  is  a  Roman,  and  uncon- 
demned.  The  apostle  puts  the  in- 
quiry, not  for  information,  for  he  well 
knew  the  law,  but  as  a  caution  to 
those  who  were  about  to  incur  a  dan- 
gerous responsibility.  It  was  con- 
trary to  the  Roman  statutes  to  bind 
or  scourge  a  Roman  citizen,  unless 
condemned  for  some  crime ;  in  which 
VOL.  in,  85 


case  he  ceased  to  be  a  Roman  citi- 
zen, and  was  degraded  from  his  priv- 
ileges and  immunities. 

26,  27.  The  simplicity  and  minute- 
ness of  ancient  narrative,  and  the 
form  of  dialogue  common  to  an  early 
and  unsophisticated  age,  are  illustra- 
ted in  these  verses. 

28.  With  a  great  sum,  fyc.  The 
right  of  Roman  citizenship  was  at 
first  granted  only  to  such  foreigners 
as  had  conferred  distinguished  ser- 
vices on  the  country,  or  as  a  mark 
of  honor  upon  great  and  good  indi- 
viduals. But,  in  process  of  time,  it 
could  be  purchased  for  money  ;  and, 
under  the  corrupt  emperors,  it  was 
prostituted  so  low,  to  fill  tlieir  treas- 
uries, that  it  lost  its  value,  and  never 
again  recovered  its  primitive  distinc- 
tion. The  tribune,  in  the  present  in- 
stance, had  purchased  the  privilege 
with  a  large  sum  of  money.  —  But  1 
ivas  free-born.  This  is  generally 
supposed  to  have  been  on  account 
of  Tarsus  being  made  a  free  city  by 
Augustus,  and  its^  inhabitants  thus 
being  admitted  to  the  right  of  citi- 
zenship. Pliny,  in  his  Natural  His- 
tory, says,  that  "  Tarsus  Avas  a  free 
city ; "  Appian,  that  "  the  people  of 
Tarsus  were  free,  and  discharged* 
from  paying  tribute ; "  and  other  ex- 
pressions are  quoted,  from  Dion  Cas- 
sius  and  Philo,  bearing  upon  the  same 
point. 

29.  Examined,  i,  e.  with  scoui^- 
ing.  —  Because  he  had  bound  him,  i.  e. 
to  be  scoursred,  not  because  of  the 


290 


THE  ACTS 


[('hap. 


they  departed  from  him  which  should  have  examined  him:  and 
the  chief  captain  also  was  afraid,  after  he  knew  that  he  was  a 
Roman,  and  because  he  had  bound  him. 

On  the  morrow,  because  he  would  have  known  the  certainty  30 
wherefore  he  was  accused  of  the  Jews,  he  loosed  him  from  his 
bands,  and  commanded  the  chief  priests  and  all  their  council  to 
appear,  and  brought  Paul  down,  and  set  him  before  them. 


chains,  chap.  xxi.  33.  The  officer 
shrank  with  dread  from  the  outrag-e 
he  was  about  to  commit,  and  the  sol- 
diers recoiled  from  the  act  in  process, 
and,  we  are  told, "  straightway  depart- 
ed from  him."  This  "is  perfectly  in 
accordance  with  the  testimony  of 
profane  history  and  oratory,  and  be- 
speaks a  writer  true  to  the  spirit  of 
the  times.  Thus  Cicero,  against 
Verres,  says  :  "  Whoever  he  might 
be  whom  you  were  hurrying  to  the 
cross,  Avere  he  even  unknown  to  you, 
if  he  but  said  that  he  was  a  Roman 
citizen,  he  would  necessarily  obtain 
from  you,  the  prsetor,  by  the  simplest 
mention  of  Rome,  if  not  an  escape, 
yet  at  least  a  delay  of  his  punish- 
ment." And,  again  :  "  It  is  a  heinous 
sin  to  bind  a  Roman  citizen ;  it  is 
wickedness  to  beat  him ;  it  is  next  to 
parricide  to  kill  him  ;  and  what  shall 
I  say,  to  crucify  him  ?  " 

30.  Loosed  him  from  his  bands. 
The  chains  by  which  he  Avas  bound 
to  two  soldiers,  chap.  xxi.  33,  not  the 
bonds  of  ver.  25,  from  which,  of 
course,  he  would  be  immediritely  re- 
leased. It  does  not  appear  that  there 
was  any  violation  of  the  right  of  citi- 
zenship in  his  being  bound  with  chains 
to  the  soldiers  that  guarded  him.  When 
brought  before  the  Jewish  council  he 
,was  unchained,  but  afterAvards  was 
confined  in  the  same  way.  Chap, 
xxiv.  27,  xxvi.  29.  —  Ml  their  coun- 
cil. The  Sanhedrim.  —  Brought  Paid 
down.  i.  e.  from  the  castle  of  Anto- 


nia  into  an  apartment  of  the  temple 
where  the  Sanhedrim  held  their 
meetings.  The  division  of  chapters 
here,  again,  is  unfortunate,  for  ver. 
30  more  properly  belongs  to  chapter 
xxiii. 

We  have  arrived  at  another  im- 
portant stage  in  the  life  of  Paul. 
Contrary  to  the  earnest  intreaties 
and  tears  of  his  fri  nds,  but  actua- 
ted by  a  sense  of  duty,  he  had  come 
to  Jerusalem,  in  the  face  of  multi- 
tudes of  enemies,  and  fallen,  as  it 
Avas  predicted  he  Avould  fall,  into 
their  snares.  Henceforth  he  is  not 
free,  for  several  years ;  he  is  Paul 
the  prisoner,  Paul  the  aged.  But, 
though  prison  and  bonds  Avt  re  his 
portion,  yet  man  could  throw  no 
chains  around  his  spirit,  nor  cool  his 
love,  nor  damp  his  Cl)ristian  zeal. 
His  mind  seemed  to  gloAv  Avith  in- 
tenser  activity,  Avhen  he  could  no 
longer  journey  and  preach  as  before. 
Witness  his  speeches  before  the  peo- 
ple, the  Sanhedrim,  Felix,  and  Agrip- 
pa.  Witness  his  epistles  to  the  Ephe- 
sians,  Philippians,  and  Colossians,  to 
Timothy,  Titus,  and  Philemon.  Sub- 
jected to  the  slow  martyrdom  of  de- 
ferred hope,  of  arbitrary  poAver,  and 
of  imperial  caprice,  cut  off  from  Avhat 
he  most  desired,  the  boundless  field 
and  freedom  of  a  missionary  life, 
he  did  not  pine  or  complain;  but 
"  learned,  in  whatsoever  state  he 
Avas,  tliercAvitli  to  be  content,"  and 
"  rejoiced  in  the  Lord  greatly." 


XXIIL] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


291 


CHAPTER   XXHI. 

Pmd  before  the  Sanhedrim,  lohence  he  is  carried  for  Safety  into  the  Castle  of 
Antonia,  and  afterwards  despatched  to  Cesarca. 

And   Paul,  earnestly   beholding  the   council,  said,   Men  and 

brethren,  I  have  lived  in  all  good  conscience  before  God  until 

2  this  day.     And  the  high-priest  Ananias  commanded  them  that 


CHAPTER  XXIIL 
1.  Earnestly  beholding  (lie  council. 
As  with  the  look  of  assured  inno- 
cence, or  to  recognize  those  whom 
he  had  formerly  known.  —  Men  and 
brethren.  Brethren.  —  In  all  good 
conscience  before  God.  A  declara- 
tion of  sincerity  and  conscientious- 
ness, not  of  perfectness.  The  apos- 
tle, in  other  passages,  professed  his 
obedience  to  conscience,  even  in  his 
persecution  of  the  church;  but  he 
was  guilty,  nevertheless,  in  not  ta- 
king pains  to  enlighten  his  mind,  as 
well  as  to  follow  the  impulses  of  the 
inward  monitor.  Chap.  xxiv.  16, 
xxvi.  9.  Thus  he  speaks,  in  1  Tim.  i. 
13,  of  having  acted  ignorantly,  i.  e. 
without  the  guidance  of  the  intellect, 
though  he  affirms  that  he  acted  at  all 
times  conscientiously.  Conscience 
is  a  sentiment^  not  an  intellectual  pow- 
er. It  is  the  capacity  of  feeling  what 
is  right  and  wrong,  of  connecting 
pleasure  with  one  and  pain  with  the 
other,  and  thus  prompting  to  one,  and 
dissuading  from  the  other.  It  j  udges 
of  duty  according  to  the  facts  pre- 
sented to  it  by  the  mental  powers, 
and,  in  proportion  to  the  correctness 
with  which  the  case  is  thus  stated, 
makes  its  decision  correct.  Hence 
the  moral  sense  requires  the  aid  of 
the  intellect,  in  order  to  pronounce 
its  decree  according  to  truth  and  the 
will  of  God.  Conscience  is  a  safe 
guide  only  when  conscientiously  fol- 
lowed, not  with  passion,  prejudice,  or 
caprice.  Even  if  it  be  felt,  as  in  the 
case  of  Paul,  to  be  but  the  echo  of  a 
higher  tribunal  —  "conscience  be- 
fore God  "  —  yet  it  possesses  only  a 


more  terrific  and  destructive  energy, 
when  the  mind  fails  to  shed  the  light 
of  intelligence,  and  the  heart  the 
kindly  warmth  of  humane  affec- 
tions. Witness  the  conscientious, 
but  not  therefore  right  or  just,  perse- 
cutor of  every  age  ;  whether  in  the 
case  of  a  Paul  making  havoc  of  the 
flock,  or  a  Dominic  founding  the  In- 
quisition, or  a  Calvin  instigating  the 
death  of  Servetus,  or  the  Puritans 
imprisoning  and  banishing  Baptists 
and  Quakers. 

2.  The  high-priest  Ananias.  He 
is  believed  to  be  the  son  of  Nebi- 
daeus,  and  had  been  sent  to  Rome 
a  prisoner,  to  answer  for  his  conduct 
in  office,  in  company  with  the  pre- 
fect of  the  temple,  but  was  acquitted, 
and  returned  to  Jerusalem.  At  this 
time  he  was  holding  the  priesthood, 
either  by  usurpation,  in  the  disorders 
of  the  times,  or  provisionally  and 
temporarily.  There  is,  however, 
a  degree  of  uncertainty  as  to  the 
identity  of  Ananias,  and  the  history 
of  his  life.  —  To  smite  him  on  the 
month.  1  Kings  xxii.  24 ;  John  xviii. 
22.  This  barbarous  indignity  was 
in  accordance  with  both  ancient  and 
modern  Oriental  usages,  which  par- 
take very  much  of  a  despotic  spirit. 
The  blow  was  given,  as  is  conjec- 
tured, for  one  or  all  of  several  rea- 
sons—  such  as  the  freedom  of  Paul's 
address  and  the  firmness  of  his  air 
before  the  Sanhedrim,  his  protesta- 
tions of  innocence,  and  his  having 
before  thrown  himself  upon  the  pro- 
tection of  the  chief  captain  as  a  Ro- 
man citizen. 


293 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


stood  by  him,  to  smite  him  on  the  mouth.     Then  said  Paul  unto  3 
him,  God  shall  smite  thee,  thou  whited  wall :   for  sittest  thou  to 
judge  me  after  the  law,  and  commandest  me  to  be  smitten  con- 
trary to  the  law  1     And  they  that  stood  by,  said,  Revilest  thou  4 
God's  high-priest  1     Then  said  Paul,  I  wist  not,  brethren,  that  3 
he  was  the  high-priest;   for  it  is  written,  Thou  shalt  not  speak 
evil  of  the  ruler  of  thy  people. But  when  Paul  perceived  6 


3.  God  shall  smite  thee,  thou  lohited 
wall.  The  figure,  in  the  concluding 
part,  resembles  that  in  Mat  xxiii.  27 ; 
Luke  xi.  44.  The  apostle  spoke,  as 
it  would  seem,  less  from  a  prophetic 
than  an  indignant  impulse.  He  bold- 
ly, and  it  may  be  passionately,  de- 
nounced the  act  of  the  high-priest, 
and  threatened  him  with  that  visita- 
tion of  heaven  which,  it  required  no 
supernatural  aid  to  predict,  would 
overtake  him  for  his  bad  life  and  tyr- 
anny. Jesus  rebuked  a  similar  in- 
dignity in  a  serener  spirit,  becoming 
the  Son  of  God.  John  xviii.  23.  If 
Paul  infringed  upon  the  sacred  limits 
of  love  and  forbearance,  he  instantly 
recovered  himself,  and  made  the  only 
requisite  apology.  See  note  on  chap, 
viii.  20.  If  Ananias  be  the  one  who 
held  the  office  of  high-priest  under 
Quadratus,  and  who  was  acquitted 
at  Rome  of  charges  against  him,  he 
is  represented  as  miserably  perishin^^ 
under  tlie  hands  of  assassins,  sicarii, 
a  few  years  after  this  time.  —  Smitten 
contrary  to  the  law.  The  prisoner 
pressed  home  the  gross  inconsistency 
of  a  judge  being  himself  the  most 
forward  to  do  unjustly.  Various  pas- 
sages in  the  Hebrew  Scriptures  en- 
joined rectitude  and  mercy  in  judg- 
ment Lev.  xix.  15,  35  ;  Deut  xxv. 
1 ;  John  vii.  51. 

5.  /  ivist  not.  I  knew  not  Paul 
has  been  supposed  by  some  to  speak 
ironically,  that  he  did  not  know  that  so 
unjust  a  man  was  in  the  highest  and 
holiest  office ;  he  did  not  recognize 
any  thing  of  the  high-priest  in  Ana- 
nias.    But  others  undei-stand  him  as 


declaring  a  fact,  that  he  did  not,  in 
the  changes  of  the  times,  and  his 
absence  from  Jerusalem,  know  that 
he  was  high-priest,  though  it  would 
have  seemed  that  his  position  in  the 
council,  and  the  lead  he  took  in  its 
proceedings,  would  have  sufficiently 
indicated  that  to  one  who  had  atten- 
tively scrutinized  the  Sanhedrim,  as 
Paul  had  done.  Ver.  1.  Hence  the 
more  probable  interpretation  is,  that 
he  did  not  know,  reflect,  consider, 
that  he  Avas  tlie  highest  officer  in  the 
nation,  and  in  his  haste  "  spoke  un- 
advisedly with  his  lips."  The  gross 
insult  and  cruelty  he  suffered  be- 
trayed him  into  an  undue  momentary 
warmth.  The  latter  clause  of  the 
verse  harmonizes  with  this  view  of 
the  subject  — It  is  ivritten.  Ex.  xxii. 
28.  The  candor  of  the  narrative  is 
observable  here,  as  throughout  the 
New  Testament ;  for  events  are  re-  j 
lated  without  reference  to  their  bear-  i 
ing  upon  the  reputation  of  the  apos- 
tles or  disciples.  The  truth  is  told 
without  fear.  There  is  no  trimming 
to  suit  opinions  or  conventional  ideas, 
or  to  anticipate  inferences  which 
might  be  drawn.  The  rule  is,  tlie 
truth  is  always  safe  ;  principles,  not  i 
men.  But  in  the  end,  this  fearless  1 
style  gains  more  than  it  loses ;  be- 
cause, if  a  few  are  touched  Avith  a 
shade  of  skepticism  at  beholding  the 
faults  of  Peter,  Paul,  and  others,  yet 
multitudes  discern  in  this  transparent 
frankness  the  signature  of  a  pure  and 
honest  purpose,  which  fears  God  too 
much  to  fear  man. 

0.  tVIien  Paul  perceived,  8fc.  See- 


XXIII.] 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


293 


that  the  one  part  were  Sadducees,  and  the  other  Pharisees,  he 
cried  out  in  the  council,  Men  and  brethren,  I  am  a  Pharisee, 
the  son  of  a  Pharisee :  of  the  hope  and  resurrection  of  the  dead 

7  I  am  called  in  question.  And  when  he  had  so  said,  there  arose 
a  dissension  between  the  Pharisees  and  the  Sadducees :  and  the 

8  multitude  was  divided.  For  the  Sadducees  say  that  there  is  no 
resurrection,  neither  angel,  nor  spirit :  but  the  Pharisees  confess 

9  both.  And  there  arose  a  great  cry  :  and  the  scribes  that  were 
of  the  Pharisees'  part  arose,  and  strove,  saying,  We  find  no  evil 
in  this  man :    but  if  a  vspirit  or  an  angel  hath  spoken  to  him,  let 


iug  that  his  case  was  prejudged,  and 
that  it  was  in  vain  to  look  to  the  San- 
liedrim  even  for  a  fair  trial,  Paul 
used  a  stroke  of  policy  to  divide  his 
judges  among  themselves,  and  bring 
to  ligiit  the  spirit  which  rankled  in 
their  own  hearts.  This  showed  an 
intimate  knowledge  of  the  character 
of  his  nation,  though  some  have 
doubted  its  perf.  ct  propriety,  and 
thought  that  it  had  more  of  the  wis- 
dom of  the  strpeM  than  the  innocence 
of  the  dove.  —  I  am  a  Pfvirisee,  ^t. 
He  was  a  Pharisee  before  his  con- 
version, and,  since  that  change,  he 
was  in  the  main  with  them  in  rela- 
tion to  the  dividing  question  between 
them  and  the  Sadducees ;  and  de- 
fended the  resurrection  by  new  and 
peculiarly  strong  proofs  of  the  rising 
of  Jesus  from  the  dead.  He  did  not 
m  an,  or  say,  and  they  would  not  un- 
derstand him,  that  he  was  a  thorough 
Pharisee  in  all  points,  for  then  he 
never  would  have  been  there,  ar- 
raigned as  a  prisoner  at  the  bar  of 
the  Sanhedrim ;  but  that  there  Avas 
one  great  common  ground  on  which 
he  took  the  side  of  the  Pharisees 
against  the  Sadducees,  and  for  which 
he  was  especially  axcused,  viz.,  that 
of  the  resurrection  of  the  dead. 
Chap.  iv.  1-3,  v.  17. —  Of  the  hope 
and  resurrection.  Or,  "of  the  hope 
of  the  resurrection,"  laying  aside  the 
idiomatic  form. 

7.  The  apple  of  discord,  which  he 
25* 


had  thrown  into  the  assembly,  pro- 
duced its  intended  effect,  and  in- 
stantly arrayed  the  two  sects  in  hos- 
tile attitude. 

8.  JVo  resurrection,  S^c.  Mat.  xxii. 
23.  The  leading  points  of  difference 
between  the  Pharisees  and  Saddu- 
cees are  here  briefly  given.  See 
note  on  Mat.  iii.  7.  —  BotJi,  i.  e.  the 
belief  in  the  resurrection,  and  in  the 
existence  of  immaterial  beings,  as 
angels  and  spirits. 

9.  ^^  great  cri/.  The  spirit  of  the 
times  is  vividly  conveyed  to  us  by  the 
uproar  of  the  highest  civil  and  eccle- 
siastical tribunal  of  the  Jewish  na- 
tion, assembled  to  pass  judgment  on 
one  of  the  most  important  cases  that 
could  fall  under  their  jurisdiction.  — 
^"Irose  and  strove.  Confusion  spread 
among  the  parties,  and,  rising  from 
tiieir  seats,  they  fiercely  contended 
and  quarrelled  in  words  and  gestures 
Avith  one  another.  —  We  find  no  evil 
in  this  man.  They  saw  him  in  quite  a 
new  and  more  favorable  light  after  his 
declaration,  and  suddenly  found  that 
he  was  a  perfectly  innocent  and  in- 
jured man.  It  is  sufliciently  appar- 
ent how  little  they  had  against  him 
before,  except  prejudices.  —  If  a  spir- 
it or  an  angel  hath  spoken,  &fc.  Re- 
ferring, doubtless,  to  his  account  of 
his  conversion.  Chap.  xxii.  6-11, 
18.  They  now  intimated  their  cre- 
dence of  what  they  had  before  re- 
ceived with  execrations,  because  they 


^m 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


us  not  fight  against  God.     And  when  there  arose  a  great  dissen-  10 
sion,  the  chief  captain,  fearing  lest  Paul  should  have  been  pulled 
in  pieces  of  them,  commanded  the  soldiers  to  go  down,  and  to 
take  him  by  force  from  among  them,  and  to  bring  him  into  the 
castle. 

And  the  night  following  the  Lord  stood  by  him,  and  said,  Be  U 
of  good  cheer,  Paul ;   for  as  thou  hast  testified  of  me  in  Jerusa- 
lem, so  must  thou  bear  witness  also  at  Rome. And  when  it  12 

was  day,  certain  of  the  Jews  banded  together,  and  bound  them- 
selves under  a  curse,  saying,  that  they  would  neither  eat  nor 
drink  till  they  had  killed  Paul.     And  they  were  more  than  forty  13 
which  had  made  this  conspiracy.     And  they  came  to  the  chief  14 
priests  and  elders,  and  said.  We  have  bound  ourselves  under  a 
great  curse,  that  we  will  eat  nothing  until  we  have  slain  Paul. 


perceived  it  might  be  turned  to  their 
own  account,  as  believers  in  spiritual 
beings.  —  Let  us  not  fghi  against 
GocL  All  one  word  in  Greek,  which 
is  cancelled  from  the  text  by  Gries- 
bach  and  others,  as  destitute  of  au- 
thority ;  and  the  sentence  is  left  in 
that  uniEinished  state  in  which  it  nat- 
urally would  be  amidst  such  a  scene 
of  tumult     Chap.  v.  39. 

10.  Lest  Paul  should  have  been 
pulled  in  pieces.  The  violence  of 
the  parties  was  such,  that  the  officer 
feared  Paul  would  actually  fall  the 
victim  of  personal  injuries,  and  he 
therefore  rescued  him 
%vith  a  military  force. 

11.  The  Lord.  Jesus. —  1^/50  at 
Rome.  As  he  had  proclaimed  tlie 
gospel  in  the  metropolis  of  the  Jew- 
ish, so  he  was  to  do  the  same  in  the 
metropolis  of  the  Gentile,  world. 
Surrounded  as  the  apostle  was  with 
dangers  on  every  side,  it  was  a  wor- 
thy occasion  for  the  interposition  and 
friendly  counsel  of  the  great  Head 
of  the  church.  If  the  Christian  cause 
was  of  sufficient  moment  to  receive 
unusual  aid  at  its  introduction,  it 
also  merited  the  same  through  that 
earlier  period  when  it  was  beat  upon 
by  all  the  storms  of  persecution,  and 


all  the  powers  of  earth  seemed  to  be 
combined  for  its  utter  extinction.  The 
whispers  of  encouragement  and  warn- 
ing from  a  higher  world  were  needed 
to  nerve  the  heart  of  the  suffisring, 
endangered  apostle. 

1*2,  13.  Bound  themselves  under  a 
curse,  i.  e.  they  made  a  vow,  and  in- 
voked the  malediction  of  Heaven,  if 
they  did  not  fulfil  it  It  has  been 
conjectured,  by  Michaelis  and  others, 
that  this  band  of  desperate  men  be- 
longed to  the  class  called  sica7-ii,  see 
chap.  xxi.  38,  who  were  also  zealots 
for  tlie  law,  and  ready  to  engage  in 
the  grossest  wickedness,  to  gratify 
personal  or  religious  animosities.  — 
JVeither  eat  nor  diink.  1  Sam.  xiv. 
24.  A  common  form  of  voav,  accord- 
ing to  Jewish  scholars ;  it  might  sig- 
nify that  they  would  abstain  from 
their  ordinary  food  until  they  had 
effected  their  purpose,  rather  than 
that  they  would  literally  take  no 
nourishment  whatever.  But,  if  strict- 
ly bound  to  observe  their  oath  to  the 
letter,  they  could  yet  obtain  an  easy 
absolution  from  the  rabbins,  or  by 
some  other  expedient  Josephus 
relates  that  ten  men  made  a  sim- 
ilar vow  to  take  the  life  of  Herod 
the    Great,    because    he    had    de- 


XXIIL]  OF  THE  APOSTLES.  295 

15  Now  therefore  ye  with  the  council  signify  to  the  chief  captain, 
that  he  bring  him  down  unto  you  to-morrow,  as  though  ye  would 
inquire  something  more  perfectly  concerning  him :   and  we,  or 

16  ever  he  come  near,  are  ready  to  kill  him. And  when  Paul's 

sister's  son  heard  of  their  lying  in  wait,  he  went  and  entered  into 

17  the  castle,  and  told  Paul.  Then  Paul  called  one  of  the  centu- 
rions unto  him,  and  said,  Bring  this  young  man  unto  the  chief 

18  captain ;  for  he  hath  a  certain  thing  to  tell  him.  So  he  took 
him,  and  brought  him  to  the  chief  captain,  and  said,  Paul  the 
prisoner  called  me  unto  him,  and  prayed  me  to  bring  this  young 

11)  man  unto  thee,  who  hath  something  to  say  unto  thee.  Then  the 
chief  captain  took  him  by  the  harjd,  and  went  with  him  aside 
privately,  and   asked   him,  What  is  that  thou   hast  to  tell  me  1 

20  And  he  said.  The  .Tews  have  agreed  to  desire  thee,  that  thou 
wouldest  bring  down  Paul  to-morrow  into  the  council,  as  though 

21  they  would  inquire  somewhat  of  him  more  perfectly.  But  do 
not  thou  yield  unto  them :  for  there  lie  in  wait  for  him  of  them 
more  than  forty  men,  which  have  bound  themselves  with  an  oath, 
that  they  will  neither  eat  nor  drink  till  they  have  killed  him : 

22  and  now  are  they  ready,  looking  for  a  promise  from  thee.  So 
the  chief  captain  then  let  the  young  man  depart,  and  charged 
him,  Sec  thou  tell  no  man  that  thou  hast  showed  these  things  to 

23  me. And  he  called  unto  him  two  centurions,  saying,  Make 

ready  two    hundred  soldiers  to  go  to  Cesarea,   and   horsemen 
threescore  and  ten,  and  spearmen  two  hundred,  at  the  third  hour 

parted   from   the   customs   of  their  lins,  and    constituting  a  species  of 

nation.  body-guard. —  At  the  third  hour  of 

]  5.    Council.       Sanhedrim.  —  Or  the  nischf.     Or,  nine  o'clock   in  the 

ever  he  come  near,  i.  e.,  in  modern  evening.     The   same   reason  which 

phrase,  "  before  he  comes  near."  The  dictated  an  escort  of  four  hundred 

plan  was  to  waylay  Paul  between  the  and  seventy  men,  to  guard  Paul  out 

c-istle  and  the  council -chamber,  and  of  Jerusalem  and  some  distance  on 

assassinate  him.  the  way  to  Cesarea,  also  selected  the 

2%  23.  Tell  no  man.   The  success  night-time  to  march  ;  though,  in  the 

of  the  chief  captain's  measures  de-  tropical   regions,  night-travelling  is 

pended  upon  secresy,  and  he  did  not  common  on  account  of  the  oppressive 

wish  to  bring  upon  himself  the  odium  heat  of  the  sun  by  day.     The  formi- 

of  the  Jews  for  rescuing  Paul  from  dable  and  desperate  character  of  the 

their  machinations.  —  Soldiers.     In-  apostle's  enemies  demanded  strong 

fantry.  —  Spearmen.    The  original  is  and  well-laid  measures  to  defeat  their 

doubtful,  but  probably  means  light  plan, 
troops,  armed  with  spears  or  jave- 


296 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


of  the  night ;   and  provide  them  beasts,  that  they  may  set  Paul  21 
on,  and  bring  him  safe  unto  Felix  the  governor.     And  he  wrote  25 
a  letter  after  this  manner :   Claudius  Lysias,  unto  the  most  ex-  26 
celient  governor  Felix,  sendeth  greeting.     This  man  was  taken  27 
of  the  Jews,  and  should  have  been  killed  of  them  :  then  came  I 
with  an  army,  and  rescued  him,  having  understood  that  he  was 
a  Roman.     And  when  I  would  have  known  the  cause  wherefore  28 
they  accused  him,  I  brought  him  forth  into  their  council :  whom  29 
I  perceived  to  be  accused  of  questions  of  their  law,  but  to  have 
nothing  laid  to  his  charge  worthy  of  death,  or  of  bonds.     And  30 
when  it  was  told  me  how  that  the  Jews  laid  wait  for  the  man,  I 
sent  straightway  to  thee,  and  gave  commandment  to  his  accusers 
also,  to  say  before  thee  what  thfi/  had  against  him.     Farewell. 
Then  the  soldiers,  as  it  was  commanded  them,  took  Paul,  and  31 


24.  Beasts,  that  they  may  set  Paid 
on,  i.  e.  relays,  or  animals  for  riding, 
to  succeed  one  anotlier  at  different 
stages  in  the  journey  of  between  six- 
ty and  seventy  miles,  —  Felix,  the 
governor.  Or,  procurator,  whose  res- 
idence was  at  Cesarea.  Antonius 
Felix  was  a  freedman  of  Claudius 
Cesar,  tlie  Roman  emperor,  and  broth- 
er of  Pallas,  the  favorite  of  Nero. 
According  to  the  testimony  of  Taci- 
tus, he  governed  his  people  with  a 
servile  mind,  and  indulged  in  every 
species  of  cruelty  and  lust ;  and  he 
says  that  he  expected  to  escape  with 
impunity  in  the  commission  of  his 
wicked  deeds,  on  account  of  his  great 
power.  He  had,  at  this  time,  been 
procurator  about  five  years,  and  re- 
mained in  office  two  years  longer, 
chap.  xxiv.  27,  when  he  was  succeed- 
ed by  Porcius  Festus. 

26.  Claudius  Lysias.  The  name 
of  the  chief  captain.  —  The  most  ex- 
cellent. A  mere  title,  as  we  use  (x- 
cellency.  —  Greeting.  Or,  Avislieth 
good  health  and  prosperity. 

27.  Shoidd  have  been.  Better, 
"  would  have  been."  —  JVith  an  ar- 
my. Rather,  "  with  a  band,"  or  de- 
tachment of  troops.  —  Rescued  him. 
This  he  had  done  twice  in  reality, 


chap.  xxi.  32,  xxiii.  10,  though  he 
probably  refers  only  to  the  former 
case.  —  Having  understood  that  he 
was  a  Roman.  He  wished  to  give 
the  impression  that  he  had  done  the 
act  out  of  regard  to  Roman  honor, 
though,  in  fact,  he  did  not  know  that 
the  apostle  was  a  free  citizen  until 
after  the  rescue.  Had  he  told  the 
simple  truth,  it  would  have  been 
more  to  his  praise,  because  to  rescue 
a  man  from  danger  and  injustice  was 
more  honorable  than  to  rescue  a  Ro- 
man merely  because  he  belonged  to 
that  nation. 

29,  30.  Qiicstions  of  their  law. 
Lysias  riaturally  resolved  all  discus- 
sions, among  the  Jews,  respecting 
religion,  into  disputes  in  relation  to 
their  law.  This  letter  appears  to  be 
an  exact  transcript  of  the  original, 
Avhich  Luke  miglit  have  procured 
from  Paul ;  for  the  latter,  in  his  long 
residence  in  Cesarea,  chap.  xxiv.  27, 
could  easily  obtain  a  copy..  The  chief 
ciptain  presents  himself,  throughout 
the  narrative  of  this  and  the  last 
chapter,  as  a  wise,  finn,  and,  for  a 
heathen,  well-principled  man. 

31.  u,'lntipatris.  A  city  built  by 
Herod,  and  called,  in  honor  of  his  fa- 
ther, Antipater.    It  lay  upon  the  route 


XXIV.]  OF  THE   APOSTLES.  297 

32  brouglit  Mm  by  night  to  Antiputris.     On  the  morrow  they  left 

33  the  horsemen  to  go  witli  him,  and  returned  to  the  castle :  who, 
when    they  came  to  Cesarea,  and   delivered  the  epistle  to  the 

34  governor,  presented  Paul  also  before  him.  And  when  the  gov- 
ernor had  read  the  letter,  he  asked  of  what  province  he  was. 

35  And  when  he  understood  that  he  was  of  Cilicia;  I  will  hear 
thee,  said  he,  when  thine  accusers  are  also  come.  And  he 
commanded  him  to  be  kept  in  Herod's  judgment-hall. 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

Paul's  Defence  before  Felix,  and  Discourse  before  Felix  and  DrusUla 

And  after  five  days,  Ananias  the  high-priest  descended  with 
the  elders,  and  with  a  certain  orator  named  Tertullus,  who  in- 
2  formed  the  governor  against  Paul.  And  when  he  was  called 
forth,  Tertullus  began  to  accuse  him,  saying,  Seeing  that  by 
thee  we  enjoy  great  quietness,  and  that  very  worthy  deeds  are 


from  Jerusalem  to  Cesarea,  about 
twenty  miles  from  the  latter,  in  a 
large  fertile  plain.  Its  location  was 
identified  by  Robinson,  in  his  late 
researches  in  Palestine  and  Arabia. 
The  distance  was  great,  for  one 
night's  travel ;  but  the  Roman  sol- 
diers were  distinguished  for  their 
hardihood,  the  march  was  a  forced 
one,  and  the  "  night "  might  be  used 
to  include  a  considerable  part  of  the 
following  day. 

32.  They  left  the  horsemen.  As 
Paul  was  out  of  danger  from  his 
enemies'  waylaying  him,  the  four 
hundred  foot-soldiers  returned  to  Je- 
rusalem, and  the  seventy  horsemen 
formed  his  escort  the  remainder  of 
the  way  to  Cesarea. 

35.  Herod's  judgment-hall.  Or, 
pretorium.  This  was  a  palace,  built 
by  Herod  the  Great,  for  the  royal 
residence,  and  occupied  by  the  suc- 
cessive procurators.  Paul  was  con- 
fined in  the  same  edifice. 

"  In  the  first  part  of  this  chapter, 
we  behold  the  high-priest,  in  the  sa- 
cred office  of  a  judge,  animated  with 
religious  zeal,  grossly  violating  the 


duties  of  his  station.  In  the  latter 
part,  we  find  the  common  people, 
from  the  same  cause,  deviating  still 
further  from  the  rules  of  justice  and 
propriety.  And  could  it  be  religion 
which  thus  divested  men  of  humani- 
ty, and  inspired  them  with  the  fury 
of  the  beasts  which  roam  the  desert.^ 
In  framing  this  wicked  project,  true 
religion  had  no  share.  Their  zeal 
was  not  the  offspring  of  benevolence, 
but  issued  from  the  gloomy  region 
of  hatred  and  malice." 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

1.  After  five  days.  From  the  time 
of  his  arrest.  Chap.  xxi.  33.  —  De- 
scended. From  Jerusalem  to  Cesa- 
rea; the  usual  language,  in  going 
from  the  holy  city  in  any  direction 
Chap.  XV.  1.  —  Orator  nained  Tertul- 
lus, i.  e.  an  advocate  or  pleader  in 
the  courts,  and  probably,  as  his  name 
indicates,  a  Roman,  and  one,  tliere- 
fore,  peculiarly  fitted  to  argue  before 
a  Roman  judge.  The  preparations 
Avere  such  as  showed  the  importance 
attached  to  the  trial. 

2,3.  Called  forth.    From  custody. 


298  THE  ACTS  [Chap. 

done  unto  this  nation  by  thy  providence,  we  accept  it  always,  3 
and  in  all  places,  most  noble  Felix,  with  all  thankfulness.     Not-  4. 
withstanding,  that  I  be  not  further  tedious  unto  thee,  I  pray  thee, 
that  thou  wouldest  hear  us  of  thy  clemency  a  few  words.     For  5 
we  have  found  this  man  a  pestilent  fellow,  and  a  mover  of  sedi- 
tion among  all  the  Jews  throughout  the  world,  and  a  ringleader 
of  the  sect  of  the  Nazarenes :  who  also  hath  gone  about  to  pro-  6 
fane  the  temple:  whom  we  took,  and  would  have  judged  accord- 
ing to  our  law :  but  the  chief  captain  Lysias  came  upon  us,  and  7 
with  great  violence  took  him  away  out  of  our  hands,  commanding  8 
his  accusers  to  come  unto  thee :  by  examining  of  whom,  thyself 


—  We  enjoy  great  quietness.  Or, 
public  tranquillity.  —  Fery  worthy 
deeds  are  done,  i^c.  To  gain  a  favor- 
able ear,  he  flatters  the  procurator 
with  the  good  deeds  he  had  done, 
and  the  unusual  peace  under  his  gov- 
ernment It  was  true,  Felix  had  re- 
pressed many  disorders  in  Judea,  by 
settling  difficulties  between  the  peo- 
ple of  Cesarea  and  Syria,  clearing 
the  country  of  robbers,  and  destroy- 
ing two  seditious  leaders,  Eleazer 
and  the  Egyptian.  Chap.  xxi.  38. 
But  both  his  public  and  private  char- 
acter was  stained  with  vice  and 
crime.  He  was  avaricious,  licen- 
tious, and  cruel,  and  ill  deserved  the 
praises  of  Tertullus.  He  was  hated 
by  the  people  over  whom  he  ruled ; 
and,  when  he  returned  to  Rome,  he 
was  pursued  by  the  complaints  of 
his  subjects.  —  Thy  providence.  Or, 
foresight,  prudence.  —  We  accept  it 
always.  We  cheerfully  acknowl- 
edge and  applaud  the  blessings  we 
enjoy  under  your  administration,  at 
all  times  and  places.  —  Most  noble. 
The  title  of  office.     Luke  i.  3. 

5.  A  pestilent  fellow.  Literally, 
and  more  forcibly,  "  a  pestilence,"  a 
pest  The  commentators  quote  from 
Martial,  the  Roman  satirist,  in  illus- 
tration of  the  text,  "  Thou  art  not 
vicious,  O  Zoilus,  but  vice,"  its  es- 
sence and  substance. — A  mover  of 
sedition,  &fc.     All  the  disturbances 


produced  by  tlie  enemies  of  Paul 
were  of  course  laid  to  his  charge. 
No  crime  was  more  heinous,  in  the 
eyes  of  Rome,  than  sedition ;  for  the 
vast  compass  of  their  power  made 
them  jealous  of  every  attempt,  even 
in  the  remotest  province  or  city,  to 
throw  off  the  yoke  of  subjection. — 
A  ringleader  of  the  sect  of  the  JVaza- 
renes.  The  Christians  were  so  called 
out  of  opprobrium,  by  their  enemies, 
because  their  Master  was  from  the 
despised  town  of  Nazareth;  and 
the  same  title  is  given  them  to  this 
day  by  Jews  and  Muhammedans. 
The  labors  and  abilities  of  Paul  are 
appreciated  by  his  enemies,  as  pla- 
cing him  in  the  first  rank  of  his  sect 

6.  Gone  ahoid  to  profane  the  tem- 
ple. Or,  attempted,  or  plotted,  to  do 
this  sacrilege.  Chap  xxi.  28.  The 
sum  of  the  accusations  was,  that  the 
prisoner  was  a  pest,  full  of  sedition 
and  blasphemy,  and  the  chief  leader 
of  the  hateful  sect  of  the  Nazarenes. 
The  ingenious  and  perverse  con- 
struction thus  put  upon  the  life  and 
public  services  of  Paul,  by  Tertullus, 
argued  one  who  knew  well  how  to 
make  "  the  worse  appear  the  better 
reason."  —  Would  have  judged,  S^c. 
The  barefaced  falsehood  of  this  dec- 
laration is  evident  from  chap.  xxi.  31, 
xxiii,  10,  15. 

7,  8.  IViih  great  violence.  Or, 
"  with  a  great  force,"  referring  to  the 


XXIV.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


299 


mayest  take  knowledge  of  all  these  things  whereof  we  accuse 
9  him.     And  the  Jews  also   assented,  saying,   That  these   things 

10  were  so. Then  Paul,  after  that  the  governor  had  beckoned 

unto  him  to  speak,  answered.  Forasmuch  as  I  know  that  thou 
hast  been  of  many  years  a  judge  unto  this  nation,  I  do  the  more 

11  cheerfully  answer  for  myself:   because  that  thou  mayest  under- 
stand, that  there   are  yet  but  twelve  days  since  I  went  up  to 

12  Jerusalem  for  to  worship.     And  they  neither  found  me  in  the 
temple  disputing  with  any  man,  neither  raising  up  the  people, 

13  neither  in  the   synagogues,  nor  in  the   city :    neither  can  they 

14  prove  the  things  whereof  they  now  accuse  me.     But  this  I  con- 
fess unto  thee,  that  after  the  way  which  they  call  heresy,  so 


military  seizure  of  Paul,  which  Ter- 
tuUus  would  represent  as  an  arbitra- 
ry and  tyrannical  act  We  have, 
probably,  only  the  heads  of  th's 
speech,  a  summaiy  of  the  argument, 
but  it  was  artfully  adapted  to  its  pur- 
pose. The  orator  conciliated  the  fa- 
vor of  Felix  by  praising  his  adminis- 
tration, charged  the  prisoner  Avith  the 
gravest  political  and  religious  of- 
fences —  sedition,  heresy,  ver.  5,  and 
profanation  of  the  temple,  ver.  6  — 
professed  that  the  Jews  were  about 
to  punish  him  according  to  their  law, 
but  were  prevented  by  the  unwar- 
rantable interference  of  Lysias,  and 
concluded  by  putting  in  the  testimo- 
ny of  witnesses  present  from  Jerusa- 
lem, who  corroborated  all  his  state- 
ments. 

10.  Thou  hast  been  of  many  years 
a  judge  unto  this  nrttvm,  i.  e.  a  ruler, 
whose  office  comprehended  not  only 
the  judicial,  but  the  civil  and  milita- 
ry, functions.  Felix  had  been  pro- 
curator of  Judea  about  five  years, 
during  which  time  he  bad  necessa- 
rily become  conversant  with  Jewish 
affairs.  The  apostle  opened  his  de- 
fence with  a  conciliatory  remark, 
based  not,  like  the  adulation  of  his 
opponent,  upon  specious  pretences, 
but  upon  an  important  and  favorable 
circumstance  —  that  he  was  permit- 
ted to  argue  before  one  so  well  qual- 


ified, by  long  experience  in  his  of- 
fice, to  make  a  right  decision. 

11.  It  has  been  observed,  that  Paul 
proceeded  to  clear  himself  of  the  three 
leading  accusations  fastened  upon 
him  by  his  adversary,  viz.,  sedition, 
ver.  11-13,  heresy,  ver.  14-16,  and 
profanation  of  the  temple,  ver.  17- 
21.  —  Because  that  thou  mayest  under- 
stand. More  simply  and  literally, 
"  thou  mayest  know,"  or,  "  it  being  in 
thy  power  to  know,"  or  learn  by  ev- 
idence. The  present  rendering  con- 
nects ver.  11  too  strongly  to  ver.  10. 
—  Tivelve  days.  About  seven  days, 
clinp.  xxi.  27,  were  occupied  with  the 
vow,  and  five  with  his  arrest,  confine- 
ment, and  journey  to  Cesarea.  Ver. 
1.  The  siiort  time  he  had  been  in 
Jerusalem  precluded  any  opportunity 
to  excite  the  people  to  sedition,  at 
least  in  the  holy  city,  whatever  he 
might  do  elsewhere. —  To  worship. 
His  object  was  not  sedition  or  sac- 
rilege. 

12,  13.  He  utterly  disclaimed  any 
act  or  attempt  that  could  be  construed 
as  a  crime  against  the  public  peace, 
whether  in  the  city,  temple,  syna- 
gogues, or  anywhere  among  tjie  peo- 
ple, and  boldly  affirmed  the  impossi- 
bility of  the  charge  being  sustained 
by  evidence. 

14.  Heresy.  This  is  the  same  word 
in  Greek  as  mat  translated  sect  in  ver. 


^ 


THE   ACTS 


[Chap. 


worship  I  the  God  of  my  fathers,  believing  all  things  which  are 
written  in  the  law  and  in  the  prophets:    and  have  hope  toward  15 
God,  which  they  themselves   also  allow,  that  there   shall  be  a 
resurrection   of  the  dead,   both  of  the   just   and  unjust.     And  16 
herein  do  I  exercise  myself,  to  have  always  a  conscience  void 


5,  and  simply  means  "division  or 
schism  ; "  but  without  any  reference 
to  the  present  popular  notion  of  her- 
esy, as  being  an  error  of  doctrine. 
The  Pharisees  were  called  a  sect  of 
the  Jews.  Chap.  xxvi.  5.  Paul 
thought  the  gospel  true  ;  his  enemies 
did  not ;  but,  in  either  case,  he  be- 
longed to  a  sect,  a  division  from  the 
rest  of  the  Jews,  a  new  party,  Avhich 
was  all  tliat  was  intended  to  be  con- 
veyed in  the  text  The  odium  of 
belonging  to  a  new  sect  or  party  in 
religion  gradually  associated  it  in  the 
minds  of  men  as  involving  error  in 
belief;  and  hence  the  origin  of  tlie 
modern  term,  heresy,  from  the  origi- 
nal Greek,  used  here  and  in  ver.  5. 
Thus,  all  new  sects  of  Christians  have 
been  heretics,  seceders,  schismatics, 
and  holding,  in  the  judgment  of  op- 
ponents, an  erroneous  faitli.  Thus, 
Luther  and  Calvin  M'ere  rank  here- 
tics, in  the  eyes  of  Rome  ;  the  Puri- 
tans and  Methodists,  in  the  eyes  of 
the  English  church  ;  and  tlie  Unita- 
rians, in  the  judgment  of  the  Trinita- 
rians and  Calvinists.  Thus,  ever}'- 
new  offshoot  is  a  sect,  a  heresy,  from 
the  old  stock.  Thus  does  God,  not- 
withstanding human  opprobrium  and 
pei-secution,  from  age  to  age  refine 
and  re-refine  his  church,  that  at  last 
it  may  be  without  spot  or  blemish. — 
So  worship  I  the  o^od  of  my  fathers. 
Or,  "  so  serve  I,"  &c.  The  Jews  en- 
joyed religious  toleration  under  the 
Roman  government  Paul  claimed 
protection  under  the  same  broad 
shield  as  the  rest  of  his  nation.  He 
said,  it  was  true  he  belonged  to  a  de- 
spised party,  but  he,  nevertheless, 
worshipped  the  God  of  his  fathers, 
the  same  God  as  the  rest  of  the  Jews, 


and  believed  as  firmly  as  they  did  in  \ 
the  law  and  the  prophets.  He  tliere-  \ 
fore  claimed  the  same  toleration  as 
his  opponents  under  the  imperial 
sway  of  Rome.  Religious  divisions 
among  themselves  were  not  to  be  al- 
lowed as  a  reason  for  losing  that 
great  common  privilege. — Bdieving 
all  things,  ^-c.  Paul  grounded  his 
belief  in  a  Messiah  partly  upon  the 
argument  from  the  Hebrew  Scrip- 
tures. An  intelligent  belief  in  the 
gospel  must  necessarily  include  a 
conviction  of  the  divine  origin  and 
authority  of  that  earlier  dispensation, 
of  which  it  is  the  fruit  and  fulfil- 
ment. 

1.5.  He  describes  also  another 
common  ground  between  himself  and 
a  large  portion  of  tlie  Jewish  people, 
viz.,  the  belief  in  tlie  resurrection 
from  the  dead.  Chap,  xxiii.  6  ;  Dan. 
xii.  2.  This  was  an  additional  rea- 
son why  he  should  still  enjoy  the 
same  privileges  as  the  rest  of  his 
countrymen. 

16.  /  exercise  myself.  It  is  the 
leading  aim  arid  endeavor  of  my  life. 
—  ./I  conscience  void  of  offence  toward 
God  and  toward  men.  This  decla- 
ration was  a  part  of  his  argument, 
not  an  expression  of  vanity,  or  a  mere 
declaration  of  personal  experience. 
So  far  from  being  a  seditious  citizen, 
or  an  impious  blasphemer,  he  made  | 

it  the  single,  paramount  end  of  his 
life,  and  his  constant  effort,  to  main- 
tain an  unspotted  conscience  in  all 
his  relations  and  duties  both  towards 
God  and  towards  men.  The  phrase, 
void  of  offence,  means,  literally,  "  not 
stumbling,"  not  falling  into  sin,  pure. 
This  earnest  expression  of  rectitude, 
uttered  with  all  the  sincerity  of  truth, 


XXIV.]  OF  THE  APOSTLES.  301 

17  of  offence  toward   God,   and   toward  men.      Now,   after  many 

18  years,  I  came  to  bring  alms  to  my  nation,  and  offerings.  Where- 
upon certain  Jews  from  Asia  found  me  purified  in  the  temple, 

19  neither  with  multitude,  nor  with  tumult :  who  ought  to  have  been 

20  here  before  thee,  and  object,  if  they  had  aught  against  me.  Or 
else  let  these  same  here  say,  if  they  have  found  any  evil-doing  in 

21  me,  while  I  stood  before  the  council,  except  it  be  for  this  one 
voice,  that  I  cried,  standing  among  them.  Touching  the  resur- 
rection of  the  dead  I  am  called  in  question  by  you  this  day. 

22  And  when  Felix  heard  these  things,  having  more  perfect  knowl- 
edge of  tliat  way,  he  deferred  them,  and  said.  When  Lysias  the 
chief  captain  shall  come  down,  I  will  know  the  uttermost  of  your 


while  it  was  in  itself  a  beautiful  fea- 
ture of  the  apostle's  defence,  was 
calculated  to  weigh  not  a  little  in 
his  favor  before  his  judge,  who  after- 
wards showed  that  he  was  not  insen- 
sible to  moral  considerations.  Ver. 
25.  The  great  poet  would  almost 
ssem  to  have  had  this  passage  in  his 
mind,  when  he  wrote, 

"  What  stronger  breastplate  tlian  a  heart  un- 

t.  idled? 
Thrice  is  he  armed,  that  hath  his  quarrel  just ; 
And  he  but  naked,  though  loiked  up  in  steel, 
Whose  conscic  nee  with  injustice  is  corrupted." 

17,  18.  Paul  proceeded  to  explain 
the  circumstances  of  his  arrest,  and 
tlirow  off  the  malicious  charge  of 
profaning  the  temple.  —  J]Jltr  Diany 
years.  It  was  more  than  twenty 
years  since  the  conversion  of  Paul ; 
and  though  he  had  paid  an  occasion- 
al visit  to  Jerusalem,  he  had  not  re- 
sided there  for  any  length  of  time 
during  that  period.  —  /  came  to  bring 
alms,  ^*c  Chap.  xxi.  26.  The  apos- 
tle was  the  bearer  of  contributions 
from  the  Christian  churches  in  Ma- 
cedonia and  Achaia  "to  the  poor 
saints  "  in  the  holy  city.  2  Cor.  viii. 
1  -  5,  ix.  1  -  5.  Instead  of  coming  to 
Jerusalem  for  purposes  of  rebellion 
and  impiety,  he  brought,  as  an  act  at 
once  of  kindness  to  his  nation  and 
of  piety  to  God,  relief  to  the  poor 
and  suffering,  as  was  before  done  in 
VOL.  III.  26 


a  famine.  Chap.  xi.  28-30.  —  Jews 
from  Asia,  i.  e.  the  region  about 
Ephesus.  Chap.  xxi.  27-29.  — 
Found  me  purified,  &fc.  They  found 
me  performing  the  vow  of  purifica- 
tion in  peace  and  order. 

19-21.  The  Asian  Jews,  the 
original  agents  in  exciting  these  dif- 
ficulties, were  not  present,  as  they 
should  have  been,  to  testify  to  the 
transactions  in  the  temple.  In  their 
absence,  the  accused  fearlessly  calls 
upon  the  witnesses  before  him  to  tes- 
tify to  any  offence  he  had  committed 
before  the  Sanliedrim,  unless  it  were 
to  allege  the  resurrection  to  be  the 
matter  for  which  he  was  brought  to 
trial.  This  may  be  supposed  to  be 
uttered  in  irony,  as  fitted  to  over- 
whelm his  enemies  with  mortifica- 
tion and  shame  for  the  uproar  into 
which  their  council  was  tin-own  by 
the  simple  announcement  of  that  sub- 
ject, and  the  danger  of  personal  vio- 
lence to  the  prisoner.  Chap,  xxiii. 
6,  10. 

22.  Having  more  perfect  knowledge 
of  that  way.  This  clause  is  not  quite 
clear.  It  may  be  understood  that 
Felix,  by  the  investigation  and  speech 
of  Paul,  had  obtained  a  more  accu- 
rate knowledge  of  the  Christian  doc- 
trine and  sect ;  or  he  put  off  the  cause 
that  he  migid  obtain  a  better  knowl- 
edge of  it ;  or  the  sentence  is  mig-r 


30Q 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


matter.     And  he  commanded  a  centurion  to  keep  Paul,  and  to  23 
let  him  have  liberty,  and  that  he  should  forbid  none  of  his  ac- 
quaintance to  minister,  or  come  unto  him. 

And  after  certain  days,  when  Felix  came  with  his  wife  Drusilla,  24 
which  was  a  Jewess,  he  sent  for  Paul,  and  heard  him  concerning 
the  faith  in  Christ.     A.nd  as  he  reasoned  of  righteousness,  tem-  25 
perance,  and  judgment  to  come,  Felix  trembled,  and  answered, 
Go  thy  way  for  this  time;  when  I  have  a  convenient  season,  I 


placed,  as  some  critics  suppose,  and 
the  whole  would  more  properly  read, 
"  He  deferred  them,  and  said,  When 
I  shall  have  a  more  correct  under- 
standing of  this  way,  or  faith,  and 
Lysias  shall  come  down,  1  will  give 
the  parties  a  hearing."  —  The  chief 
captain  shall  come,  ^c.  As  he  had 
been  a  principal  agent  in  some  of 
the  transactions,  it  was  important  his 
testimony  should  be  put  into  the  case 
before  an  ultimate  decision. 

23.  The  lenity  with  which  the 
prisoner  was  treated,  and  the  privi- 
leges allowed  him,  showed  plainly 
that  he  was  not  regarded  by  the 
procurator  as  a  very  heinous  offend- 
er. But  he  detained  him,  from  other 
considerations,  as  appears  from  ver. 
2(),  27. 

24.  Drusilla.  She  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  Herod  Agrippa,  whose  death 
is  recorded  in  chap.  xii.  19  -  2^3,  and 
therefore  the  granddaughter  of  Her- 
od the  Great  The  following  narra- 
tive of  Josephus  shows  the  criminal- 
ity of  her  connexion  with  Felix. 
Agrippa,  the  son  of  Herod  Agrippa, 
'•  gave  his  sister,  Drusilla,  in  marriage 
to  Aziz,  king  of  the  Emesenes,  when 
he  had  consented  to  be  circumcised. 
For  Epiphanes,  the  son  of  king  Anti- 
ochus,  had  broken  the  contract  with 
iier,  by  refusing  to.  embrace  the  Jew- 
ish customs,  although  he  had  prom- 
ised her  father  he  would.  But  this 
marriage  of  Drusilla  with  Aziz  whs 
dissolved,  in  a  short  time,  after  this 
manner.  When  Felix  was  procurator 
gf  Judea,  having  had  a  sight  of  her, 


he  became  passionately  enamored  of 
her ;  and  indeed  she  was  the  most 
beautiful  of  her  sex.  He  therefore 
sent  to  her  Simon,  a  Jew  of  Cyprus, 
who  was  one  of  his  friends,  and  pre- 
tended to  magic,  by  whom  he  per- 
suaded her  to  leave  her  husband,  and 
marry  him,  promising  to  make  her 
perfectly  happy,  if  she  did  not  dis- 
dain him.  It  was  far  from  being  a 
sufficient  reason;  but,  to  avoid  the 
envy  of  her  sister,  Bernice,  who  was 
continually  doing  her  ill  offices  be- 
cause of  her  beauty,  she  was  in- 
duced to  transgress  the  laws  of  her 
country,  and  marry  Felix." —  The 
faith  in  Christ.  The  Christian  faith, 
or  religion.  Drusilla,  being  a  Jew- 
ess, might  have  felt  an  interest  in 
learning  Paul's  doctrine  respecting 
the  Messiah. 

25.  Reasoned.  Or,  discoursed.  — 
Righteousness.  Justice,  rectitude,  a 
virtue  of  which  Felix  had  shown  him- 
self sadly  deficient.  It  is  observa- 
ble that  Paul  did  not  go  into  a  spec- 
ulative, or  even  argumentative,  dis- 
course upon  the  gospel,  but  seized 
with  a  skilful  hand  upon  the  great 
practical  points,  such  as  would  not 
only  convey  to  his  distinguished  au- 
ditors a  knowledge  of  the  plan  and 
spirit  of  Christianity,  but  would  bear 
w4th  pungent  force,  though  witli 
Christian  courtesy,  upon  their  hearts 
and  consciences.  Nor  did  the  cir- 
cumstance that  he  was  dependent,  as 
a  prisoner,  upon  Felix,  for  pardon  and 
life,  make  him  waver  a  moment  in 
discharging  his  duty  as  a  preacher  of 


OF  THE  APOSTLKS. 


303 


XXIV.j 

26  will  call  for  thee.     He  hoped  also  that  money  should  have  been 
given  hiin  of  Paul,  that  he  might  loose  him :  wherefore  he  sent 

27  for  him  the  oftener,  and  communed  with  him. But  after  two 

years  Porcius  Festus  came  into  Felix'  room:    and  Felix,  willing 
to  show  the  Jews  a  pleasure,  left  Paul  bound. 


righteousness,  and  rebuker  of  wick- 
edness, though  in  high  places.  His 
lofty  moral  courage,  and  the  fidelity 
with  which  he  dealt  with  the  charac- 
ters of  his  hearers,  showed  how  far 
he  was  elevated  above  every  selfish 
consideration  in  his  office.  —  Tem- 
perance. Or,  continence,  chastity ; 
or,  in  general,  the  government  of 
the  animal  passions  and  appetites.  — 
Judgment  to  come.  The  doctrine  of 
a  future  righteous  retribution,  in 
which  every  man  would  receive  ac- 
cording to  the  deeds  done  in  the 
body,  whether  good  or  bad.  These 
topics  were  all  such  as  were  adapt- 
ed to  produce  compunctions  of  con- 
science in  the  guilty  pair,  for  they  had 
been  grossly  unjust  and  sensual,  and 
had  acted  with  but  little  reference  to 
moral  obligation,  and  the  decisions 
of  the  Infinite  Judge.  —  Felix  trem- 
bled. The  words  of  the  fearless 
preacher  were  not  without  their  ef- 
fect Conscience,  though  seared,  felt 
the  reproof,  and  Felix,  clothed  as  he 
was  in  pomp  and  royalty,  trembled 
on  his  throne.  —  Go  thy  way  for  this 
time :  lohen  I  have  a  convenient  sen- 
son,,  &fc.  But,  though  he  heard  the 
call  of  duty  and  repentance,  he  yield- 
ed to  the  habit  of  procrastination,  and 
dismissed  the  apostle  to  his  lonely 
cell.  The  fatal  words  passed  his 
lips,  and  no  "  convenient  season " 
ever  returned  again  to  bring  the  sin- 
ner back  from  his  wanderings.  He 
heard  Paul  again  and  again,  ver.  26, 
but  that  peculiar  emotion,  that  unu- 
sual tenderness,  was  no  more  felt. 
The  opportunity  had  passed  forever. 
So  solemn,  so  eagerly  to  be  sought, 
and  so  faithfully  to  be  used,  is  the 
season  of  an  awakened  conscience. 


Yet,  how  many  bid  it  depart  for  this 
tiine,  and  promise  themselves  a  con- 
venient season,  which  never  comes ! 
"  Behold,  now  is  the  day  of  sajva- 
tion." 

26.  Hoped  also  tJiat  money,  S^'c. 
The  times  were  full  of  fraud  and  cor- 
ruption, and  Felix  was  venal  and  av- 
aricious. He  showed  how  much  more 
powerful  is  the  confirmed  habit  of 
one's  life  than  tlie  appeal  of  trutii, 
though  urged  with  all  the  eloquence 
of  an  apostle,  and  responded  to  by 
one's  own  moral  nature.  He  is  the 
same  Felix  as  before,  or  even  more 
hardened,  and  adds  new  acts  of  tyr- 
anny. Perhaps  he  thought  Paul 
would  devote  the  funds,  raised  in 
distant  churches  for  the  relief  of  the 
poor  in  Judea,  to  tlie  purchase  of  his 
own  freedom ;  but  he  did  not  know 
the  man.  He  might  suppose,  also, 
that  the  prisoner's  friends,  who  had 
been  so  liberal  on  other  occasions, 
would  at  this  time  show  a  like  gen- 
erosity. He  did  not  understand  that 
they  would  shrink  from  bribery  as  a 
crime.  —  Sent  for  him  the  oftener,  S^c. 
The  subject  of  these  interviews  has 
no  record  ;  but  Felix  might  intimate 
the  base  proposal  of  opening  his 
prison  with  a  golden  key.  Two 
years  the  captive  pined  in  the  ty- 
rant's hands,  and  heard  and  resisted 
the  whispers  of  the  tempter,  if  such 
an  opportunity  to  obtain  his  freedom 
coidd  be  any  temptation  to  the  incor- 
ruptible apostle.  Olshausen  suggests 
that  God  granted  him  this  quiet  pe- 
riod for  spiritual  recruiting  and  in- 
vigoration  Avithin  his  own  nature,  as 
he  did  other  seasons  for  action  and 
usefulness. 

27.  Porcius  Festus.    He  was  the 


304 


THE  ACTS 


[Char 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

Paul  defends  himself  against  the  Jews  before  Festus,  and  is  afterwards  brought 
before  Agrippa  and  Bernice. 

INOW  when  Festus  was  come  into  the  province,  after  three 
days  he  ascended  from  Cesarea  to  Jerusalem.     Then  the  high-  2 
priest  and  the  chief  of  the  Jews  informed  him  against  Paul,  and 
besought  him,  and  desired  favor  against  him,  that  he  would  send  3 
for  him  to  Jerusalem,  laying  wait  in  the  way  to  kill  him.     But  t 
Festus  answered,  that  Paul  should  be  kept  at  Cesarea,  and  that 
he   himself  would  depart  shortly  thither.     Let  them  therefore,  5 


twelfth  procurator  of  Judea,  A.  D. 
58  -  62,  and  died  in  that  country.  — 
Came  into  Felix^  room.  Was  his 
successor  in  office.  —  Felix,  ivilling 
to  show  the  Jev)S  a  pleasure.  To  grat- 
ify them,  to  ingratiate  himself  with 
them.  This,  likewise,  was  in  precise 
accordance  with  his  character,  as 
depicted  by  Tacitus,  Suetonius,  and 
Josephus.  But,  like  most  crimes, 
it  failed  of  its  purpose.  The  Jews 
preferred  complaints,  at  the  imperial 
court,  of  the  maladministration  of 
Felix,  and  he  was  sent  as  a  prisoner 
to  Rome,  and  only  escaped  punish- 
ment by  the  intercessions  of  his  broth- 
er, Pallas,  with  Nero.  This  favorite 
of  tlie  emperor,  though  partially  in 
disgrace  himself,  was  able  to  screen 
his  brother  from  his  just  deserts. 
Among  his  numerous  otlier  acts  of 
wickedness,  during  his  term  of  office, 
Felix  procured  the  assassination  of 
Jonathan,  the  high-priest,  throug-h 
the  aid  of  the  sicarii,  because  he 
reproved  him  too  faithfully  for  the 
abuses  of  his  administration.  The 
final  history  of  this  bad  ruler  is  not 
recorded;  but  it  is  said,  though 
doubtfully,  that  Drusilla,  with  her 
son  by  Felix,  perished  in  a  tremen- 
dous eruption  of  Mount  Vesuvius. 

The  simplicity  of  the  Christian 
religion,  as  presented  in  all  the  ad- 
dresses of  Paul,  and  even  when  he 
was  called  especially  to  discourse 
"concerning   the   faith    in   Christ," 


ver.  24,  the  sin  of  resisting  good 
impressions,  the  danger  of  delay,  ver. 
25,  and  the  contrast  between  the 
character  of  the  apostle  and  that  of 
his  powerful,  but  corrupt,  hearers, 
furnish  topics  for  interesting  reflec- 
tions. 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

1.  The  province,  i.  e.  of  Judea.  — 
He  ascended.  The  usual  term  for 
going  to  the  capital  of  a  nation ;  and 
more  proper  in  this  connexion,  as 
Cesarea  %vas  on  the  seaboard,  and 
Jerusalem  inland. 

2,  3.  Informed.  Or,  "  brought  an 
accusation."  Their  malice  had  slum- 
bered two  years,  but  not  died ;  and, 
upon  the  accession  of  a  new  procu- 
rator to  the  government,  the  Jews 
hoped  they  might  secure  a  decision 
in  their  favor.  —  Laying  ivait  in  the 
way,  ^T.  This  was  the  revival  of 
the  nefarious  plan  of  chap,  xxiii.  15, 
which  seemed  now  to  be  under  the 
direct  patronage  of  the  first  men  in 
Jerusalem. 

4.  That  Paul  shoidd  he  kept,  S,-c. 
Better,  with  Bloomfield,  "that  Paul 
was  in  confinement  at  Cesarea ; "  for, 
as  he  was  imprisoned  there,  it  was 
proper  his  trial  should  be  in  that 
place. 

5.  JVIiich  among  you  are  able. 
Either  the  persons  of  weight  and 
standing,  or  those  Avho  could  conve- 
niently attend  tlie  trial.  —  If  there  be 


XXV.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


305 


said  he,  which   among   you   are  able,  go  down  with   me,   and 

6  accuse  this  man,  if  there  be  any  wickedness  in  him. And 

when  he  had  tarried  among  them  more  than  ten  days,  he  Ment 
down  unto  Cesarea ;   and  the  next  day  sitting  on  the  judgment- 

7  seat,  commanded  Paul  to  be  brought.  And  when  he  was  come", 
the  Jews  which  came  down  from  Jerusalem  stood  round  about, 
and  laid  many  and  grievous  complaints  against  Paul,  which  they 

8  could  not  prove ;  while  he  answered  for  himself,  Neither  against 
the  law  of  the  Jews,  neither  against  the  temple,  nor  yet  against 

9  Cesar  have  I  offended  any  thing  at  all.  But  Festus,  willing  to 
do  the  Jews  a  pleasure,  answered  Paul,  and  said.  Wilt  thou  go 
up  to  Jerusalem,  and  there  be  judged  of  these  things  before  mel 

10  Then  said  Paul,  I  stand  at  Cesar's  judgment-seat,  where  I  ought 
to  be  judged :  to  the  Jews  have  I  done  no  wrong,  as  thou  very 

11  well  knowest.  For  if  I  be  an  offender,  or  have  committed  any 
thing  worthy  of  death,  I  refuse  not  to  die :  but  if  there  be  none 
of  these  things  whereof  these  accuse  me,  no  man  may  deliver  me 


any  wickedness  in  him.  Literally, 
according  to  the  best  reading,  "  if 
there  be  any  thing  in  this  man." 

6.  More  than  ten  days.  Griesbach 
reads,  "not  more  than  eight  or  ten 
days,"  which  better  corresponds  with 
ver.  4,  that  he  should  depart  shortly 
to  Cesarea. 

7,  8.  Many  and  grievous  com- 
plaints^ fyc.  A  repetition,  probably, 
of  the  charge  before  Felix,  chap, 
xxiv.  5,  6.  —  The  law  of  the  Jews,  — 
the  temple,  —  Cesar.  These  were  the 
principal  heads  of  accusation  before, 
viz.,  that  he  was  guilty  of  sedition, 
of  profaning  the  temple,  and  of  being 
the  ringleader  of  the  Nazarenes. 

9.  Willing;  to  do  the  Jews  a  pleas- 
ure. Like  Pontius  Pilate,  who  con- 
demned Jesus  to  be  crucified  to  grat- 
ify the  Jews ;  and  like  Felix,  who 
left  Paul  bound  two  years  for  the 
same  object,  Festus  was  willing  to 
purchase  popularity  at  the  price  of 
injustice.  —  JVilt  thou  go  up  to  Jeru- 
salem'? He  could  only  have  asked 
this  question  at  tlie  instigation  of  the 
Jews,  who  thus  hoped  for  an  oppor- 
26* 


tunity    to    make    way    with    Paul, 
while  upon  the  journey. 

10,  11.  /  stand  at  Cesar"* s  judg- 
ment-seat, i.  e.  the  tribunal  of  Festus 
was,  in  authority  and  name,  the  bar 
of  the  Roman  emperor,  —  who  went 
under  the  generic  designation  of 
Cesar,  from  Julius  Cesar,  the  first 
of  the  dynasty.  The  apostle  had 
committed  no  crime  cognizable  by 
the  Jews,  could  hope  for  no  justice 
from  them,  and  was  unwilling  to 
hazard  his  life  by  returning  into  the 
midst  of  his  bitter  enemies.  —  As 
thou  very  ivell  knowest.  There  is  a 
comparative  degree  in  the  original, 
as  if  to  say, "  You  know  it  better  than 
1  can  tell  you ; "  or, "  than  you  seem  to 
wish  to  know  it."  The  examination 
before  Festus  was  sufficient  to  show 
him  the  innocence  of  the  accused.  — 
If  I  be  an  offender,  fyc.  The  apostle 
magnanimously  declared  that,  if  he 
merited  death,  he  was  willing  to 
suffer  the  penalty  of  the  law ;  but, 
being  an  innocent  and  injured  man, 
he  would  not  consent  to  go  to  Jeru- 
salem, which  he  seemed  to  consider 


30G 


THE   ACTS 


[Chap. 


unto  them.     I  appeal  unto  Cesar.     Then  Festus,  when  he  had  12 
conferred  with  the  council,  answered,  Hast  thou  appealed  unto 
Cesar  ?    unto  Cesar  shalt  thou  go. 

And  after  certain  days,  king  Agrippa  and  Bernice  came  unto  13 
Cesarea,  to  salute  Festus.     And  when  they  had  been  there  many  14 
days,  Festus  declared  Paul's  cause  unto  the  king,  saying.  There 
is  a  certain  man  left  in  bonds  by  Felix :   about  whom,  when  I  15 
was  at  Jerusalem,  the  chief  priests  and  the  elders  of  the  Jews 
informed  me,  desiring  to  have  judgment  against  him.     To  whom  16 
I  answered,  It  is  not  the  manner  of  the  Romans  to  deliver  any 
man  to  die,  before  that  he  which  is  accused  have  the  accusers 
face  to  face,  and  have  license  to  answer  for  himself  concerning 


as  equivalent  to  being  delivered  up 
to  the  Jews,  —  since  they  would 
undoubtedly  find  means,  by  force  or 
fraud,  to  get  him  into  tlieir  hands.  — 
/  appeal  unto  Ctsar.  This  was  a 
privilege  which  a  Roman  citizen 
enjoyed,  in  case  of  any  wrong  or 
injustice,  real  or  supposed,  to  appeal 
from  the  provincial  judiciary  to  the 
people  of  Rome  for  redress ;  or,  after 
the  empire  succeeded  to  the  republic, 
to  the  emperor.  The  apostle  de- 
spaired of  justice  in  Judea,  and  chose 
to  have  even  such  a  tyrant  as  Nero, 
who  then  sat  upon  the  throne,  as 
his  judge,  than  be  any  longer  at 
the  mercy  of  corrupt  and  ambitious 
rulers. 

12.  When  he  had  conferred  with 
the  council.  Lardner  has  conclu- 
sively shown,  that  this  council  was  a 
Roman,  and  not  a  Jewish,  one,  and 
consisted  of  the  chief  oflicers  of  the 
province.  Thus,  Petronius  is  cited 
as  consulting  with  "  his  assessors 
what  was  proper  to  be  done;"  and 
Gallus,  as  conferring  "  with  his  cap- 
tains."—  Hasl  thou  appealed  unfa 
Cesar  ?  This  is  more  properly  point- 
ed without  an  interrogation,  as  an 
affirmation,  —  which  is  done  by  Lu- 
ther, Tyndale,  Markland,  Wake- 
field, Thomson,  Sacy,  and  otliers,  — 
"Thou  hast  appealed  unto  Cesar; 
and  unto  Cesar  shalt  thou  o^o." 


13.  Ki7ig  Jlgrippa.  Called  Agrip- 
pa the  Younger,  —  the  son  of  Herod 
Agrippa,  who  died  at  Cesarea,  chap, 
xii.  23 ;  and  the  grandson  of  Herod 
the  Great.  He  was  17  years  old 
at  his  father's  decease ;  and,  through 
the  favor  of  Claudius  Cesar,  was  ap- 
pointed king  of  Chalcis,  and  after- 
wards promoted  to  a  wider  dominion, 
which  was  still  further  increased 
under  Nero.  At  this  period,  there- 
fore, he  was  enjoying  the  power  and 
title  of  a  king ;  and  came  to  Cesarea 
on  a  visit  of  congratulation  to  Festus 
upon  his  accession  to  the  government 
of  Judea.  —  Bernice.  Or,  as  some- 
times written,  Berenice.  A  sister  of 
Agrippa,  and  also  of  Drusilla.  Chap, 
xxiv.  24.  She  was  first  married  to 
her  uncle  Herod,  king  of  Chalcis; 
and,  after  his  death,  to  Polemon, 
king  of  Pontus  and  part  of  Cilicia. 
But  she  deserted  him,  and  lived  with 
her  brother  Agrippa,  as  was  sup- 
posed, in  a  criminal  manner ;  and 
afterwards  became  the  mistress  of 
Titus.  She  was  distinguished  for 
her  beauty  and  sensuality. 

14.  Declared  PauVs  cause  unto  the 
kino;.  As  Agrippa  was  well  versed 
in  Jewish  matters.  —  Left  in  bonds. 
Literally,  "  a  prisoner."  Chap.  xxiv. 
27. 

15.  16.  We  here  learn  the  nature 
of  the  Jews'  application  to  Festus. 


XXV.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


307 


17  the  crime  laid  against  him.  Therefore,  when  they  were  come 
hither,  without  any  delay  on  the  morrow  I  sat  on  the  judgment- 

18  seat,  and  commanded  the  man  to  be  brought  forth;  against 
whom,  when  the  accusers  stood  up,  they  brought  none  accusation 

19  of  such  things  as  I  supposed  :  but  had  certain  questions  against 
him  of  their  own  superstition,  and  of  one  Jesus,  which  was  dead, 

20  whom  Paul  affirmed  to  be  alive.  And  because  I  doubted  of 
such  manner  of  questions,  I  asked  Mm  whether  he  would  go  to 

21  Jerusalem,  and  there  be  judged  of  these  matters.  But  when 
Paul  had  appealed  to  be  reserved  unto  the  hearing  of  AugUstus, 
I  commanded  him  to  be  kept  till  I  might  send  him  to  Cesar. 

22  Then  Agrippa  said  unto  Festus,  I  would  also  hear  the  man  my- 
self.    To-morrow,  said  he,  thou  shalt  hear  him. 

23  And  on  the  morrow,  when  Agrippa  was  come,  and  Bernice, 


Ver.  2,  3.  —  It  is  not  the  manner  of 
the  Romans,  &,•€.  The  Romans  were 
superior  to  most  nations  of  that  pe- 
riod in  their  jurisprudence ;  and 
many  of  their  laws  have  descend*! 
to  modern  times,  and  been  incorpo- 
rated into  existing  systems.  The 
statement  of  the  text  is  substantiated 
by  other  authors  :  —  thus  Appian 
says,  "  It  is  not  their  custom  to  con- 
demn men  before  they  are  heard." 
Philo  says  of  the  Roman  prefects, 
"  They  yielded  themselves  to  be  the 
common  judges,  hearing  equally  the 
accusers  and  defendants,  condemning 
no  man  unheard,  prejudging  no  man, 
but  judging  Avithout  favor  or  enmity, 
according  to  the  nature  of  the  case." 
Tacitus  also  remarks,  that  "  a  de- 
fendant is  not  to  be  prohibited  from 
adducing  all  things,  by  which  his 
innocence  may  be  established."  The 
justice  of  such  laws  is  happily  ex- 
emplified in  our  own  judicature. 

18,  19.  JVbne  accusation,  S^'c.  He 
ascertained,  what  was  unexpected  to 
him,  that  the  prisoner  Avas  charged 
Avith  no  flagrant  violation  of  laAv, 
but  Avith  certain  offences  rather  of  a 
religious,  than  a  civil  or  political, 
nature. —  Of  their  oion  superstition. 
Better,  "  of  their  OAvn  religion ; "  for 


Festus  Avas  conversing  with  a  Jew, 
and  he  Avould,  as  a  matter  of  common 
courtesy,  speak  respectfully  of  the 
laAv.  It  is  the  same  word  as  that 
used  in  an  adjective  form,  in  chap, 
xvii.  22.  See  note  thereupon.  —  Of 
one  Jesus,  ^"c.  In  so  contemptuous 
a  light,  to  the  Roman  ruler,  appeared 
at  that  time  the  glorious  doctrine  of 
the  resurrection,  Avhich  has  since 
gone  abroad  to  give  life  and  hope  to 
men,  while  he  and  his  nation,  in  all 
their  boasted  pomp  and  power,  are 
only  knoAvn  from  their  connexion 
Avith  that  same  "Jesus  Avhich  was 
dead,"  and  his  apostle  "  Paul."  Truly, 
"  God  hath  chosen  the  Aveak  things 
of  the  Avorld,  to  confound  the  things 
Avhich  are  mighty." 

20,  21.  /  doubted  of  such  manner 
of  questions.  The  margin  reads,  "  1 
was  doubtful  hoAv  to  inquire  hereof." 

—  To  he  reserved.  Or,  kept.  —  The 
hearing  of  .Augustus.  Or,  the  trial, 
or  examination,  before  the  emperor, 

—  Avho  Avas  so  called  after  Augustus, 
the  successor  of  Julius  Cesar. 

23.  JVith  gi-eat  pomp.  With  the 
pageantry  and  splendor  of  royalty.  — 
Chief  captains.  "  Chiliarchs,"  or  trib- 
unes, commanders  of  a  thousand  men. 
See  note  on  chap.  xxi.  31. 


308  THE  ACTS  [Chap 

with  great  pomp,  and  was  entered  into  the  place  of  hearing, 
with  the  chief  captains  and  principal  men  of  the  city,  at  Festus' 
commandment  Paul  was  brought  forth.     And  Festus  said,  King  24 
Agrippa,  and  all  men  which  are  here  present  with  us,  ye  see  this 
man  about  whom  all  the  multitude  of  the  Jews  have  dealt  with 
me,  both  at  Jerusalem,  and  also  here,  crying  that  he  ought  not 
to  live  any  longer.     But  when  I  found  that  he  had  committed  25 
nothing  worthy  of  death,  and  that  he  himself  hath  appealed  to 
Augustus,  I  have  determined  to  send  him.     Of  whom  I  have  no  26 
certain  thing  to  write  unto  my  lord.     Wherefore  I  have  brought 
him  forth  before  you,  and  specially  before  thee,  O  king  Agrippa, 
that,  after  examination  had,  I  might  have  somewhat  to  write. 
For  it  seemeth  to  me  unreasonable  to  send  a  prisoner,  and  not  27 
withal  to  signify  the  crimes  laid  against  him. 

CHAPTER   XXVI. 

Paul's  Defence  before  Agrippa. 

XHEN  Agrippa  said  unto  Paul,  Thou  art  permitted  to  speak 
for  thyself     Then  Paul  stretched  lorih  the  hand,  and  answered 
for  himself:  I  think  myself  happy,  king  Agrippa,  because  I  shall  2 
answer  for  myself  this  day  before  thee,  touching  all  the  things 
whereof  I  am  accused  of  the  Jews  :    especially,  because  I  know  3 

25.  Hnih  appealed.  Grammatical  in  upon  the  scene  in  which  Paul  ap- 
uniformity  in  the  tenses  requires  peared  before  Festus,  Agrippa,  and 
"  had  appealed."  Bernice,  and  made  his  defence. 

26.  jYo  certain  thing.  Festus  There  appear  to  have  been  two 
thus  condemned  himself  out  of  his  reasons  why  Paul  appealed  to  Rome, 
own  mouth;  for  if  there  were  no  1.  That  he  might  escape  from  the 
charges  against  the  accused,  suf-  plots  of  his  countrymen,  and  enjoy  a 
ficiently  clear  even  to  furnish  matter  fairer  trial.  2.  That  he  might  visit 
for  a  statement  to  the  emperor,  hoAv  the  metropolis  of  the  world,  and  there 
much  less  was  there  any  thing  Avor-  preach  the  gospel. 

thy  of  his  detention.  —  My  lord,  i.  e. 

Cesnr.  — I  might  have  somewhat  to  CHAPTER   XXVI. 

write.     The  object  was  to  gfain,  by  1.    Stretched  forth  the   hand.      A 

an  examination  before  Agrippa, —  gesture    of    earnestness    elsewhere 

who    was   conversant   with    Jewish  spoken  of  in  ancient  writings, 

questions,  —  such  a  knowledge   of  2,  3.   Before  thee.     To  conciliate 

the  real  merits  of  the  case  as  would  the  attention  and  candor  of  Agrippa, 

be  proper  to  lay  before  the  imperial  the  apostle  employs  no  compliments 

court.     The  division  of  the  chapter  or  flatteries,  as  such,  but  states  a  fact 

at  this  place  is  likewise  unfortunate,  at  once  honorable  to  the  king,  and 

as  in  previous  instances,  and  breaks  auspicious  to  his  own  cause.  —  To 


XXVI.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


30^ 


thee  to  be  expert  in  all  customs  and  questions  which  are  among 
the  Jews  :  wherefore  I  beseech  thee  to  hear  me  patiently. 

4  My  manner  of  life  from  my  youth,  which  was  at  the  first  among 

5  mine  own  nation  at  Jerusalem,  know  all  the  Jews,  which  knew 
me  from  the  beginning,  (if  they  would  testify,)  that  after  the 

6  most  straitest  sect  of  our  religion,  I  lived  a  Pharisee.     And  now 
I  stand,  and  am  judged  for  the  hope  of  the  promise  made  of 

7  God  unto  our  fathers:    unto  which  promise  our  twelve  tribes, 
instantly  serving  God  day  and  night,  hope  to  come.     For  which 

8  hope's  sake,  king  Agrippa,  I  am  accused  of  the  Jews.     Why 
should  it  be  thought  a  thing  incredible  with  you,  that  God  should 

9  raise  the  dead  ? 1  verily  thought  with  myself,  that  I  ought 

to  do  many  things  contrary  to  the  name  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth. 


be  expert,  ^c.  Chap.  xxiv.  10.  It 
was  true  that  Agrippa  was  brought 
up  by  his  father,  Herod,  as  a  Jew, 
educated  in  tlie  law  and  the  usages 
of  their  religion  and  nation,  and 
afterwards  thrown  into  such  public 
affairs  as  would  mature  his  mind  in 
all  such  matters.  He  is  supposed  to 
have  been  33  years  old  at  this  time, 
and  his  sister  Bernice  one  year 
younger. 

5.  The  most  straitest.  Grammati- 
cal accuracy  requires  "  the  straitest." 
—  /  lived  a  Pharisee.  Phil.  iii.  4-6. 
The  sect  of  Pharisees  was  exceed- 
ingly scrupulous  in  the  observance, 
not  only  of  the  Mosaic  ritual,  but  of 
all  traditional  customs,  though  often 
destitute  of  practical  goodness.  Mat 
V.  20,  xxiii.  23. 

6,  7.  The  hope  of  the  promise  made 
of  God  unto  our  fathers,  i.  e.  the 
liope  founded  on  the  promise.  Some 
understand  this  to  mean  the  hope  of 
the  resurrection  from  the  dead ;  but 
it  is  more  natural  to  refer  it  to  the 
Jewish  hope  of  a  Messiah.  God  had 
promised  to  the  patriarchs,  that  in 
their  seed  all  the  nations  of  the  earth 
should  be  thus  blessed. —  Twelve 
tribes,  i.  e.  the  Jewish  nation  under 
their  ancient  title.  —  Instantly  serv- 
ing God  day  and  night.    By  which 


is  meant  their  constant  and  earnest 
service.  —  Hope  to  come.  Or,  "to 
attain."  Even  to  this  day,  tliat  sub- 
lime old  hope  is  struggling  deeply 
in  all  Jewish  hearts  throughout  the 
world.  The  disappointment  of  two 
thousand  years  has  not  quenched  it. 
It  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  sen- 
timents that  has  ever  actuated  large 
masses  of  mankind ;  and  it  appears 
to  owe  its  original  strength,  judging 
simply  from  its  duration,  to  a  higher 
than  mortal  source.  —  For  which 
hope's  sake.  Paul  was  suffering  in 
behalf  of  the  fulfilment  of  this  expec- 
tation, in  endeavoring  to  convince 
the  Jews  that  their  Messiah  had 
already  come. 

8.  Why  should  it  be  thought,  ^c. 
The  resurrection  was  the  crowning 
proof  of  the  Messiahship ;  and  the 
apostle  remonstrated  with  his  hearers 
for  thinking  it  incredible  that  that 
proof  could  be  given,  or  had  been 
given.  It  was  limiting  the  power 
of  God,  and  making  human  expe- 
rience the  test  of  the  ways  of 
Omnipotence. 

9.  That  I  ought,  &fc.  To  give 
smoothness  and  courtesy  to  his  ar- 
gument and  appeal  to  his  hearers, 
he  stated  his  own  backwardness  to 
believe,  and  showed  that  he  finally 


310 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


Which  thing  I  also  did  in  Jerusalem :   and  many  of  the  saints  10 
did  I  shut  up  in  prison,  having  received  authority  from  the  chief 
priests;    and  when  they  vi^ere  put  to  death,  I  gave  my  voice 
against  them.     And  I  punished  them   oft  in   every  synagogue,  11 
and  compelled  them  to  blaspheme;    and  being  exceedingly  mad 

against  them,  I  persecuted  them  even  unto  strange  cities. 

Whereupon,  as  I  went  to  Damascus,  with  authority  and  com-  12 
mission  from  the  chief  priests,  at  mid-day,  O  king,  I  saw  in  the  13 
way  a  light  from  heaven,  above  the  brightness  of  the  sun,  shining    ^ 
round  about  me,  and  them   which  journeyed   with   me.      And  14 
when  we  were  all  fallen  to  the  earth,  I  heard  a  voice  speaking 
unto  me,  and  saying  in  the  Hebrew  tongue,  Saul,  Saul,  why 
persecutest  thou  me  ?     It  is  hard  for  thee  to  kick  against  the 
pricks.     And  I  said,  Who  art  thou,  Lord  ?    And  he  said,  I  am  15 
Jesus  whom  thou  persecutest.     But  rise,  and    stand  upon   thy  16 
feet:    for  I  have  appeared  unto  thee  for  this  purpose,  to  make 
thee  a  minister  and  a  witness  both  of  these  things  which  thou 
hast  seen,  and  of  those  things  in  the  which  I  will  appear  unto 
thee ;    delivering  thee  from  the  people,  and  from  the  Gentiles,  17 


adopted  the  Christian  faith  on  no 
slight  or  insufficient  grounds.  On 
the  subject  of  his  conscientiousness, 
in  his  unbelief  and  persecution  of 
the  church,  see  note  on  chap,  xxiii.  1. 
Sincerity  is  not  the  test  of  trutli, 
though  it  is  of  honesty. 

]  0.  Saints,  i.  e.  Christians.  — 
When  they  were  put  to  death,  %•€. 
Stephen,  and  probably  others,  suf- 
fered martyrdom  in  that  early  per- 
secution, of  which  Paul  appeared 
as  the  presiding  genius  and  actor. 
Chap.  vii.  58,  viii.  1-3,  ix.  1. 

11.  Compelled  them  to  blaspheme. 
Or,  urged,  or  constrained,  them  to 
blaspheme  or  revile  their  Lord.  An 
illustration  of  tliis  passage  may  be 
found  in  Pliny's  letter  to  the  emperor 
Trajan,  respecting  the  Christians,  in 
which  he  says  that  some  of  those 
who  were  arraigned,  "  reviled  Christ," 
"uttered  invectives  against  him." 
The  Jewish  persecutors  seem  to  have 
extorted  from  their  victims  the  same 


evidences  of  their  rejection  of  the 
Messiah.  —  Exceedingly  mad.  He 
frankly  confessed  that  he  was  hur- 
ried away  by  his  ungovernable  pas- 
sions, and  was  beside  himself  with 
anger.  —  Strange  cities.  Only  one  is 
specified, —  Damascus, —  but  perhaps 
there  were  others,  not  recorded. 

12-16.  See  chap.  ix.  2-6,  and 
notes.  This  is  the  third  account  of 
Paul's  conversion;  and  some  inter- 
esting particulars  are  added,  —  as, 
that  the  voice  was  in  the  Hebrew 
tongue ;  and  also  a  more  full  de- 
scription of  the  office  to  which  he 
was  called,  was  given  in  ver.  16-18. 

16.  Witness.  Paul  was  a  witness 
of  what  he  had  seen,  and  of  what 
had  been  revealed  to  him,  as  well  as 
the  Twelve.     Chap.  i.  22. 

17.  Delivering.  The  preferable 
rendering  is,  "selecting,  or  choos- 
ing." —  From  the  people.  The  Jevrs. 
Chap.  ix.  15, 


XXVI.] 


OP  THE  APOSTLES. 


311 


13  unto  whom  now  I  send  thee,  to  open  their  eyes,  and  to  turn 
them  from  darkness  to  light,  and  from  the  power  of  Satan  unto 
God,  that  they  may  receive  forgiveness  of  sins,  and  inheritance 
among  them  which  are  sanctified  by  faith  that  is  in  me. 

19  Whereupon,  O  king  Agrippa,  I  was  not  disobedient  unto  the 

20  heavenly  vision :  but  showed  first  unto  them  of  Damascus,  and 
at  Jerusalem,  and  throughout  all  the  coasts  of  Judea,  and  then 
to  the  Gentiles,  that  they  should  repent  and  turn  to  God,  and  do 

21  works  meet  for  repentance.     For  these  causes  the  Jews  caught 

22  me  in  the  temple,  and  went  about  to  kill  me.  Having  therefore 
obtained  help  of  God,  I  continue  unto  this  day,  witnessing  both 
to  small  and  great,  saying  none  other  things  than  those  which 

23  the  prophets  and  Moses  did  say  should  come ;  that  Christ  should 
suffer,  and  that  he  should  be  the  first  that  should  rise  from  the 
dead,  and  should  show  light  unto  the  people,  and  to  the  Gen- 


18.  Here  is  a  concise  description 
of  the  object  of  the  gospel,  given  in 
the  highly  figurative  and  poetical 
style  of  the  East  —  The  poiver  of 
Satan,  i.  e.  the  kingdom  of  evil,  of 
which  Satan  is  represented  as  the 
head  or  ruler.  See  Col.  i.  12-14, 
for  an  illustration,  in  different  lan- 
guage, of  the  same  ideas  contained 
in  this  verse.  All  must  confess  that 
the  object  of  Christ's  coming — which 
was  elevated  heaven-high  above  all 
others  —  was  to  save  men  from  sin, 
from  darkness  and  error;  to  give 
them  hght,  life,  forgiveness,  and  a 
bright  and  beautiful  inlieritance 
among  the  blest ;  in  one  word,  to 
make  them  better  and  wiser,  and  to 
lead  them  up  to  happiness,  heaven, 
God ;  and  that  the  great  instrument 
was  faith  in  him,  as  is  stated  at  the 
end  of  the  verse.  Why  need  it  ever 
be  asked,  "What  is  Christianity?" 
when  the  answer  is  written  in  sp 
many  places,  in  the  New  Testament, 
in  such  luminous  words. 

20.  The  order  was  to  speak  first 
to  the  Jews,  then  to  the  Gentiles ; 
and  the  sequence  of  duty,  —  first,  to 
repent  of  the  past,  seek  help  from 
God,  and  then  lead  a  renewed  life. 


—  Do  works  meet  for  repentance,  i.  e. 
live  in  accordance  with  their  change 
of  motives  and  feelings  from  bad  to 
good,  and  act  in  a  manner  becoming 
their  new  profession. 

21.  For  these  causes,  ^'C.  The 
hostility  of  the  Jews  was  provoked 
by  his  success  as  an  apostle,  and  his 
preaching  the  gospel  to  the  Gentiles, 
and  opening  to  them  the  privileges 
and  promises  of  ttie  Messiah's  king- 
dom. —  Went  about,  i.  e.  sought,  or 
tried. 

22,  23.  To  small  and  great,  i.  e. 
all  classes,  the  lowly  and  lofty.  He 
argued  with  great  confidence  before 
Agrippa  as  a  Jcav,  from  the  Jewish 
Scriptures,  that  the  Messiah  was  to 
be  a  sufferer ;  that  he  was  to  rise 
from  the  dead ;  and  that  he  was  to 
be  the  moral  guide,  not  only  of  the 
children  of  Israel,  but  also  of  the 
Gentiles.    Luke  xxiv.  26,  27, 44  -  46. 

—  That  Christ  should  suffer.  It  was 
always  a  great  stumbling-block  to 
the  Jews,  that  Jesus  should  suffer 
upon  the  cross.  Their  ideal  of  the 
Messiah  was  a  triumphant  hero.  In 
affirming,  therefore,  as  Paul  did,  that 
it  was  the  prediction  of  their  own 
Scriptures  that  he  should  suffer,  die, 


312 

tiles 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


—  And  as  he  thus  spake  for  himself,  Festus  said  with  2i 
a  loud  voice,  Paul,  thou  art  beside  thyself;   much  learning  doth 
make  thee  mad.     But  he  said,  I  am  not  mad,  most  noble  Festus;  25 
but  speak  forth  the  words  of  truth  and  soberness.     For  the  king  26 
knoweth  of  these  things,  before  whom  also  I  speak  freely.     For 
I  am  persuaded  that  none  of  these  things  are  hidden  from  him ; 


and  rise  again,  he  argued  directly  to 
their  state  of  mind,  and  gave  proof 
that  Jesus  was  the  Christ.  —  Tlie 
Jirst  that  shovld  lise.  He  was  the 
first  to  rise,  and  not  die  again. 

24.  Festus  conceived  the  wonder- 
ful story,  ver.  12  - 15,  or  the  earnest 
zeal  of  Paul,  to  evince  derangement 
of  mind ;  or,  perhaps,  he  intimated 
it  not  as  an  established  fact,  but 
warned  him  of  a  dangerous  tenden- 
cy. —  Much  learning.  He  laid,  with 
seeming  forbearance  and  courtesy, 
his  aberrations  to  the  charge  of  his 
studious  habits  and  devotion  to  theol- 
ogy. It  was  an  ancient  opinion,  that 
great  absorption  in  study  produced 
mental  alienation.  Posterity  has  long 
since  decided  which  was  most  truly 
the  madman,  —  Paul,  yielding  to 
the  will  of  God,  and  preachinfj  the 
gospel  at  the  hazard  and  loss  of  his 
life,  —  or  the  Roman  governor,  ele- 
vated in  power  and  station,  but  en- 
slaved to  the  capricious  pleasure  of 
the  people,  courting  the  favor  of  the 
great  and  powerful,  and  wronging 
a  helpless  prisoner  for  the  sake  of 
popularity.  Chap.  xxv.  9.  It  is  an 
easy  reply  to  make  to  the  earnest 
preacher  of  the  gospel,  and  to  tlie 
zealous  reformer  of  corrupt  institu- 
tions and  sinful  practices,  that  they 
are  fanatics,  enthusiasts,  madmen. 
But,  in  the  sight  of  God,  they  are 
truly  the  most  sane  and  sensible 
men,  who  elevate  moral  and  religious 
interests  to  the  highest  place  in  hu- 
man regard;  who  cling  to  truth  as 
a  reality,  the  most  important  reality 
in   nature ;    and  who  would   rather 


die,  if  occasion  called  for  it,  than 
yield  the  controversy  against  igno- 
rance, sin,  and  wretchedness. 

25.  Most  nolle.  When  reviled, 
he  reviled  not  again;  but  used  the 
same  respectful  address  as  before. — 
The  words  of  truth  and  soberness. 
So  far  from  being  insane,  he  boldly 
affirmed  that  he  uttered  the  very 
words  of  truth  and  sanity.  He  was 
at  the  antipodes  of  madness.  His 
doctrines  were  the  essence  of  wis- 
dom, the  soul  of  truth. 

26.  For  the  kiiig  knoweth.  With 
admirable  skill  he  parried  the  slight- 
ing charge  of  the  cold-hearted  Ro- 
man, who  would  naturally  look  on 
these  subjects  with  an  unsympathiz- 
ing  mind,  by  appealing  directly  to 
the  Jewish  king,  whose  education 
had  better  prepared  him  to  appre- 
ciate Paul's  reasoning.  He  chal- 
lenged the  experience  and  observa- 
tion of  one  who  had  enjoyed  the 
opportunity  of  an  enlarged  acquaint- 
ance with  Jewish  affairs,  to  bear 
witness  to  its  truth.  —  This  thing 
was  not  done  in  a  corner.  The  con- 
version of  Paul  was  a  matter  of  public 
notoriety.  He  had  been  distinguished 
as  a  persecutor,  and  his  change  of 
faith  Avould  be  well  known  to  those 
with  whom  he  had  been  associated, 
and  to  the  people  at  large.  Chris- 
tianity was,  in  all  respects,  open  to 
the  inspection  of  the  world:  its 
whole  course;  the  life  and  history 
of  its  Founder  and  disciples ;  its 
doctrines,  institutions,  and  privileges, 
—  were  not  hidden,  but  proclaimed 
upon  the  house-tops.     John  xviii.  20. 


XXVI.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


313 


27  for  this  thing  was  not  done  in  a  corner.     King  Agrippa,  be- 

28  lievest  thou  the  prophets  ?  I  know  that  thou  believest.  Then 
Agrippa  said  unto  Paul,  Almost  thou  persuadest  me  to  be  a 

29  Christian.  And  Paul  said,  I  would  to  God,  that  not  only  thou, 
but  also  all  that  hear  me  this  day,  were  both  almost,  and  alto- 
gether such  as  I  am,  except  these  bonds. 

30  And  when  he  had  thus  spoken,  the  king  rose  up,  and  the 

31  governor,  and  Bernice,  and  they  that  sat  with  them  :  and  when 
they  were  gone  aside,  they  talked  between  themselves,  saying. 


27.  Believest  thou  the  prophets'^ 
He  knew  that  Agrippa  had  been 
educated  as  a  Jew ;  and  he  confi- 
dently put  the  question  to  him  re- 
specting the  prophets, — whose  works 
furnished  a  leading  argument  for  the 
Messiahship  of  Jesus.  But,  with  a 
stroke  of  nature  and  truth,  he  in- 
stantly added,  "I  know  tliat  thou 
believest;"  thus  precluding  a  neg- 
ative answer,  —  if  one  was  ready  to 
be  given,  —  and  favorably  impress- 
ing, and  forestalling  the  good  opinion 
of  Agrippa,  by  the  frankness  and 
confidence  of  his  appeal  to  his  Jew- 
ish feelings.  History  contains  few 
more  masterly  and  effective  efforts 
of  eloquence,  than  this  address  of 
Paul  before  Agrippa ;  and  even  Lon- 
ginus,  a  heathen,  enrols,  in  his  Trea- 
tise on  Sublimity,  the  name  of  the 
apostle  in  the  catalogue  of  celebrated 
Grecian  orators. 

28.  Mmost.  Literally,  "in  a  lit- 
tle," or  in  a  short  time,  or  soon.  A 
question  has  been  raised,  whether 
Agrippa  was  serious  or  not  in  this 
declaration.  He  was  probably  as 
much  so  as  such  a  man  could  be  on 
such  a  subject  He  was  a  worldly, 
haughty,  and  sensual  man,  —  though 
better  than  many  of  his  name  and 
family,  —  and  what  he  said  was 
rather  meant  as  a  compliment  to 
Paul  for  his  zeal  and  eloquence,  than 
as  a  literal  announcement  of  his  own 
sober  convictions.  He  spoke  not  in 
irony,  but  in  politeness. 

VOL.  III.  27 


29.  Such  as  lam,  except  these  bomb. 
Never  was  a  happier  turn  given  to 
the  current  of  remark.  With  refined 
courtesy,  and  at  the  same  moment 
with  a  pure  and  expansive  Christian 
love,  the  apostle  lifted  up  his  fettered 
hands,  and  expressed  the  beautiful 
wish  of  the  text.  True  religion  is 
not  envious,  or  exclusive  ;  it  only 
asks  that  all  may  taste  of  the  purest 
joys  known  to  itself.  How  sublime 
this  burst  of  an  earnest  and  strong- 
souled  nature,  forgetting  all  distinc- 
tions between  the  parties  —  robes 
and  chains  —  liberty  and  bondage  — 
wealth  and  poverty  —  the  royal 
throne  and  the  criminal's  bar  —  and 
leaping  with  one  bound  to  the  grand 
conclusion !  Every  enmity,  and 
wrong,  and  fear,  is  swallowed  up 
in  that  deep  love;  and  the  only 
prayer  is,  that  all  might  taste  of  the 
same  celestial  blessedness  ;  but  then 
one  dark  shade  crossed  his  mind 
of  his  own  woes,  and  he  simply  and 
kindly  said,  "except  these  bonds." 
Such  was  the  worthy  and  the  exqui- 
site close  of  this  masterpiece  of  Chris- 
tian eloquence  and  appeal,  which 
bears  so  many  intrinsic  proofs  that  it 
was  the  product  of  the  same  mind  as 
the  glowing,  affectionate  epistles. 
Rom.  x.  1. 

30,  3L  The  Icing  rose  up,  Sfc.  The 
power  of  the  appeal  was  perhaps  too 
tenderly  felt  by  Agrippa,  for  him  to 
allow  himself  to  remain  any  longer 
exposed  to  its  subduing  influence; 


314                                           THE  ACTS  [Chap 

This  man  doeth  nothing  worthy  of  death,  or  of  bonds.  Then  32 

said  Agrippa  unto  Festus,   This  man  might  have  been  set  at 
liberty,  if  he  had  not  appealed  unto  Cesar. 


CHAPTER   XXVn. 

ITie   Voyage  and  Shipwreck  qf  Paid. 

And  when  it  was  determined,  that  we  should  sail  into  Italy, 
they  delivered  Paul  and  certain  other  prisoners  unto  one  named 
Julius,  a  centurion  of  Augustus'  band.      And  entering  into  a  2 
ship  of  Adramyttium,  we  launched,  meaning  to  sail  by  the  coasts 
of  Asia,  one  Aristarchus,  a  Macedonian  of  Thessalonica,  being 


and  he  first  rose  to  dismiss  the  as- 
sembly. —  This  man  doeth,  ^r.  The 
result  of  their  private  consultation 
was,  that  Paul  was  exempt  from  any 
criminal  charge.  He  had  convinced 
them  of  his  innocence. 

32.  Agrippa  was  so  assured  of  tlie 
injustice  of  the  accusation  brought 
against  the  prisoner,  that  he  hesi- 
tated not  to  say,  Jew  though  he  was, 
that  Paul  might  have  been  set  at  lib- 
erty had  he  not  appealed  to  the  Ro- 
man emperor ;  for,  in  tliat  way,  the 
jurisdiction  of  Festus  over  him  had 
ceased,  as  well  for  an  acquittal  and 
release  as  for  a  condemnation.  There 
could  be  no  retraction.  Paul  had  ap- 
pealed only  in  an  extremity,  by  con- 
straint, chap,  xxviii.  19,  when  there 
was  a  prospect  he  might  be  remand- 
ed to  Jerusalem,  and  subjected  to  tlie 
plots  of  his  old,  implacable  enemies. 

The  address  of  Paul,  its  argu- 
ments, its  spirit,  its  sincerity,  its 
courage,  its  truth,  its  calm  zeal,  fur- 
nish circumstantial  evidence  of  no 
slight  strength  for  the  trutii  of  that 
religion  in  whose  behalf  lie  spoke 
and  suifered.  We  ask,  Avith  confi- 
dence, knowing  there  can  be  but 
one  answer.  Could  imposture,  could 
enthusiasm,  could  any  thing,  short 
of  a  true  faith  and  a  holy  religion, 
have  produced  such  a  speech  as  this 
of  the  apostle  before  Agrippa  ?  Then 
may  a  fountain   send  forth,  at  the 


same  place,  sweet  water  and  bitter ; 
and  the  fig-tree  bear  olive-berries, 
and  a  vine,  figs. 

CHAPTER  XXVn. 

1.  That  we  should  sail.  The  use 
of  the  first  person  plural  indicates 
the  presence  of  the  writer  with  Paul 
in  his  voyage  and  shipwreck.  The 
apostle  had  appealed  to  the  emperor, 
and  must  therefore  be  carried  to 
Rome,  in  Italy,  where  he  resided.  — 
Certain  other  prisoneis.  It  is  shown, 
by  the  commentators,  that  it  was  cus- 
tomary to  send  prisoners  from  the 
provinces  to  Rome,  for  trial.  —  ^u- 
giistus^  band.  Or,  cohort,  one  per- 
taining to  the  emperor.  Suetonius 
and  Lipsius  are  cited  to  corroborate 
tliis  fact.  Some  of  the  Roman  le- 
gions bore  the  same  honorary  title. 
A  legion  included  several  cohorts. 

2.  Adramyttium.  A  port  in  Asia 
Minor,  lying  upon  tlie  vEgean  Sea, 
and  belonging  to  Mysia,  or  ^olia. 
There  is  still  a  town  in  that  region, 
called  Jldramyt.  —  Launched.  Or, 
set  sail.  —  To  sail  hy  the  coasts  of 
Asia,  i.  e.  Asia  Minor.  It  was  a 
coasting  vessel,  trafficking  from  port 
to  port.  —  Ai-istarchus.  See  chap.  xix. 
29,  XX.  4.  He  was  afterwards,  though 
not,  probably,  at  this  time,  a  fellow- 
prisoner  with  Paul.  Col.  iv.  10.  Af- 
ter an  imprisonment  of  more  than 
two  year.--,  chap.  xxiv.  27,  the  apostle 


XXVIL] 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


315 


3  with  us.     And  the  next  day  we  touched  at  Sidon.     And  Julius 
courteously  entreated  Paul,  and  gave  him  liberty  to  go  unto  his 

4  friends  to  refresh  himself      And  when  we  had  launched  from 
thence,  we  sailed  under  Cyprus,  because  the  winds  were  con- 

6  trary.      And  when  we  had  sailed  over  the  sea  of  Cilicia  and 

6  Pamphylia,  we  came  to  Myra,  a  city  of  Lycia. And  there 

the  centurion  found  a  ship  of  Alexandria  sailing  into  Italy ;  and 

7  he  put  us  therein.     And  when  we  had  sailed  slowly  many  days, 
and  scarce  were  come  over  against  Cnidus,  the  wind  not  suffer- 


left  Judea,  in  bonds,  and  did  not 
again  return.  He  was  accompanied 
by  at  least  two  friends,  Luke  and 
Aristarchus,  and  doubtless  more, 
who  would  sustain  and  encourage 
one  another. 

3.  Sidon.  See  chap.  xii.  20.  — 
Entreated.  For  "  treated."  —  His 
friends.  The  gospel  had  been 
preached  in  Phoenicia  long  before. 
Chap.  xi.  19.  The  kindness  shown 
to  Paul  was  no  doubt  attributable  to 
the  favorable  opinion  of  Festus  and 
Agrippa,  respecting  his  innocence. 

4.  We  sailed  under  Cyprus.  Chap, 
iv.  36.  This  phrase  is  doubtful,  but 
means,  as  is  most  likely,  that  they 
sailed  along  the  soutliern  coast  of 
the  island,  and  thus  sheltered  them- 
selves from  the  unfavorable  winds. 
It  is  the  opinion  of  others  that  they 
sailed  on  the  north  side  of  Cyprus. 
The  ancient  navigators,  ignorant  of 
the  mariner's  compass,  and  many 
other  means  and  resources  now  en- 
joyed, were  accustomed  to  creep  as 
much  as  possible  along  the  shores,  in 
sight  of  land  ;  whereas,  with  all  the 
wonderful  improvements  of  modern 
times,  the  open  sea  is  considered  the 
least  exposed  to  danger. 

5.  The  sea  of  Cilicia  and  Pam- 
phylia, i.  e.  the  part  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean which  washed  those  provinces 
of  Asia  Minor  on  the  north,  and  Cy- 
prus on  the  south  and  south-east  — 
Myra.  This  was  the  capital  of  Ly- 
cia, situated  upon  the  sea-coast. — 


Lycia  was  a  maritime  district  of 
Asia  Minor,  bounded  on  the  north  by 
Pamphylia,  and  on  the  east,  west,  and 
south,  by  tlie  sea. 

G.  A  ship  of  Alexandria.  The  im- 
mense population  of  Rome  were  sup- 
plied with  grain,  in  a  great  measure, 
from  Egypt.  The  fertility  of  the 
Nile  rendered  that  country  liie  gran- 
ary of  the  empire.  This  vessel  was 
engaged  in  the  transportation  of 
bread-stuffs,  as  we  learn  from  ver. 
38,  and  had  touched  (as  was  usual 
for  vessels  coasting  from  point  to 
point,  in  order  to  learn  their  destina- 
tion and  to  trade)  at  tlie  harbor  of 
Myra,  which  was  a  mart  of  conse- 
quence in  those  days.  This  ship 
must  have  been  one  of  some  size,  for 
that  period,  as,  besides  the  cargo,  it 
contained  two  hundred  and  seventy- 
six  persons.     Ver.  37. 

7.  Cnidus.  This  was  a  city,  sit- 
uated on  a  rocky  and  mountainous 
peninsula  of  the  same  name  in  the 
province  of  Caria,  between  the  island 
of  Rhodes  and  Coos,  or  Cos.  It 
was  distinguished  for  the  worship  of 
Venus,  and  contained  the  celebrated 
statue  of  that  goddess  by  Praxiteles. 
—  Crete.  Now  called  Candia ;  an 
island  fronting  the  ^^ean  Sea,  one 
hundred  and  seventy  miles  long,  and 
about  thirty  or  forty  broad,  distin- 
guished for  its  salubrity,  fertility,  and 
beauty.  —  Salmone.  A  promontory, 
at  the  east  end  of  the  island,  wliich 
they  doubled,  and  sailed  under  Crete, 


316 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


ing   us,   we   sailed    under    Crete,   over    against   Salmone :    and  8 
hardly  passing  it,  came  unto  a  place  which  is  called.  The  Fair 
Havens;    nigh  whereunto  was  the  city  of  Lasea.     Now,  when  9 
much   time    was    spent,    and    when    sailing    was    now    danger- 
ous, because  the  fast  was  now  already  past,  Paul  admonished 
thenij  and  said  unto  them,  Sirs,  I  perceive  that  this  voyage  will  10 
be  with  hurt  and  much  damage,  not  only  of  the  lading  and  ship, 
but  also  of  our  lives.     Nevertheless,  the  centurion  believed  the  ii 
master  and  the  owner  of  the  ship  more  than  those  things  which 
were  spoken  by  Paul.     And  because  the  haven  was  not  commo-  12 
dious  to  winter  in,  the  more  part  advised  to  depart  thence  also, 
if  by  any  means  they  might  attain  to  Phenice,  and  there  to  win- 
ter ;  which  is  a  haven  of  Crete,  and  lieth  toward  the  south-west 
and  north-west.     And  when  the  south  wind  blew  softly,  suppos-  13 
ing  that  they  had  obtained  their  purpose,  loosing  thence,  they 


or  south  of  it,  to  escape  the  contrary 
winds. 

8.  Hardly  passing  it  With  diffi- 
culty they  doubled  the  eastern  cape 
or  promontory,  Salmone,  and  next 
came  to  a  roadstead,  or  species  of 
harbor,  as  it  would  appear,  where 
they  remained  a  short  time.  —  La- 
sea.  No  record  of  this  place  is  found 
in  ancient  authors.  The  nearest  ap- 
proach to  it  is  Lasos.  It  would  ap- 
pear to  be  an  inland  town,  of  which 
the  Fair  Havens  was  the  port. 

9,  10.  Much  time  was  spent  They 
had  not  advanced  so  rapidly  in  their 
voyage,  on  account  of  detention  by 
winds,  as  they  wished,  and  naviga- 
tion had  become  hazardous.  —  The 
fast  was  noio  already  past.  This 
was  the  Jewish  fast  of  expiation, 
which  occurred  about  the  last  of 
September,  near  the  time  of  the  se- 
vere equinoctial  storms.  Lev.  xvi. 
29, 31,  xxiii.  27 ;  Num.  xxix.  7.  All 
the  connexion  the  fast  had  with  the 
subject  was,  that  it  identified  the 
season  of  the  year.  Sailors,  in  those 
parts,  are  said  still  to  dread  what  are 
called  "the  Michaelmas  flows  " — se- 
vere gales  at  that  period  of  the  year. 


—  With  hurt.  Or,  injury.  Their 
lives  were  spared,  but  tlie  ship  and 
cargo  were  lost. 

1 1.  7%e  master.  Who  had  charge 
of  the  navigation  of  the  vessel. — 
The  owner.  Or,  supercargo,  who 
had  the  care  of  the  lading  or  freight 
The  centurion  naturally  paid  more 
deference  to  the  opinion  of  these  men 
than  to  that  of  Paul,  though  he  was 
experienced  in  voyages,  and  had 
been  subjected  to  great  perils  and 
hardships.     2  Cor.  xi.  25.  26. 

12.  The  haven.  Mentioned  in  ver. 
8.  —  Phenice.  Or,  more  properly, 
Phenix,  a  port  on  the  south  side  of 
Crete,  about  fifty  or  sixty  miles  from 
the  Fair  Havens,  and  now  called 
Sphacia.  —  Ldeth  toward  the  south- 
west and  north-west,  i.  e.  the  harbor 
had  two  horns,  or  openings,  into  the 
main  sea,  one  towards  the  south- 
west, or  Lybia,  as  the  Greek  word  in- 
dicates, tlie  other  towards  the  north- 
west. 

13.  Their  puipose,  i.  e.  to  reach 
Phenix  to  winter.  —  Sailed  close  by 
Crete.  Several  translators,  Luther, 
Tyndale,  and  Sacy,  render  "  loosed 
unto,  or  from,  Assos,"  (making,  with- 


XXVIL] 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


317 


14  sailed  close  by  Crete.     But  not  long  after  there  arose  against  it 

15  a  tempestuous  wind,  called  Euroclydon.     And   when   the  ship 
was  caught,  and  could  not  bear  up  into  the  wind,  we  let  her 

IG  drive.      And  running  under   a  certain   island   which  is  called 

17  Clauda,  we  had  much  work  to  come  by  the  boat :   which  when 

they  had  taken  up,  they  used  helps,  undergirding  the  ship;   and 

fearing  lest  they  should  fall  into  the  quicksands,  strake  sail,  and 


out  warrant,  one  of  the  words  in  the 
original  the  name  of  a  place,)  "  and 
sailed  by  Crete ; "  but  the  better  idea 
is,  that,  after  loosing  from  the  Fair 
Havens,  they  coasted  along  the  island 
of  Crete  close  in  shore,  agreeably  to 
the  custom  of  ancient  navigators. 

14.  Against  it.  Either,  against 
the  island,  or  the  ship,  it  is  not  agreed 
which.  —  A  tempr.stuous  ivind,  called 
Euroclydon.  This  was  a  wind,  which 
veered  to  different  points  of  the  com- 
pass, from  north-east  to  south-east ; 
and  is  probably  the  one  known  at  the 
present  day  under  the  name  of  Le- 
vanter—  the  country  at  the  eastern 
extremity  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea 
being  called  the  Levant.  The  word 
tempestuous  is  literally  typhonic,  like 
a  whirlwind,  not  blowing  steadily 
from  the  same  quarter.  See  ver.  27. 
The  English  word  Ti/phon,  and  the 
Italian  Tuffone,  are  still  in  use,  sig- 
nifying a  hurricane.  The  proper 
name,  Euroclydon^  is  derived  from 
two  words,  meaning  east  wind  and 
loavp^  and  may  be  rendered  "  the 
wave-stirring  east  wind." 

15.  The  ship  was  caught.  By  the 
violence  of  the  wind,  and  became 
unmanageable.  —  Could  not  bear  up 
into  the  wind.  Literally,  "  could  not 
look  the  wind  in  the  eye,  or  face,"  or 
meet  it  directly.  It  has  been  ob- 
served, that  "  the  position  of  greatest 
safety  for  a  ship,  in  a  storm  of  mod- 
erate violence,  is  for  it  to  lie  nearly 
head  to  the  gale,  presenting,  so  to 
speak,  its  shoulder  to  the  winds  and 
waves.  By  a  peculiar  action  of  the 
wind  upon  a  sail  placed  in  a  partic- 

27* 


ular  position,  tlie  ship  is  retained  in 
this  posture  by  the  very  force  of  the 
storm  which  it  is  resisting.  When, 
however,  the  fury  of  the  tempest 
passes  beyond  a  certain  point,  this 
position  of  comparative  safety  must 
be  abandoned.  The  mariner  then 
allows  the  ship  to  be  carried  round 
by  the  wind,  and  she  flies  before  the 
tempest,  entirely  at  its  mercy.  The 
language  here  used  seems  exactly 
adapted  to  describe  these  effects."  — 
We  let  her  drive.  Or,  in  the  original, 
"  giving  over,  we  were  driven,"  i.  e. 
yielding  up  the  ship  to  the  wind,  we 
drifted  along,  or  were  driven. 

16.  Running  under,  i.  e.  sailing  as 
nearly  as  possible  to  the  island,  to 
be  sheltered  in  some  measure  from 
the  wind.  —  Clauda.  Otherwise 
termed  Gaudos ;  a  small  island,  ly- 
ing south-west  of  Crete,  and  now 
called,  according  to  Shaw,  Gozzo.  — 
Had  much  loork  to  come  by  the  boat. 
The  boat  was  probably  alongside  the 
ship,  or  towed  astern ;  and,  when 
they  wished  to  secure  it  on  board  the 
vessel,  they  found  great  difficulty  in 
doing  it,  such  was  the  violence  of 
the  wind  and  sea. 

17.  Taken  up,  i.  e.  into  the  ship, 
to  prevent  its  being  staved.  —  They 
used  helps,  U7idergirding  the  ship. 
Understood,  by  Bloomfield,  to  mean, 
that  "  they  had  recourse  to  props  and 
stays,  undergirding  the  ship  with 
them ; "  binding  the  inner  frame- 
work of  the  ship  with  pieces  of  strong 
planking.  But  it  is  preferable  to  re- 
gard the  latter  clause  as  explanatory 
of  the  former.      What  helps  were 


318 


THE  ACTS 


[Chap. 


so  were  driven.     And  we  being  exceedingly  tossed  with  a  tern-  18 
pest,  the  next  day  they  lightened  the  ship;    and  the  third  day  19 
we  cast  out  with  our  own  hands  the  tackling  of  the  ship.     And  20 
when  neither  sun  nor  stars  in  many  days  appeared,  and  no  small 
tempest  lay  on  us,  all  hope  that  we  should  be  saved  was  then 

taken  away. But  after  long  abstinence,  Paul  stood  forth  in  21 

the  midst  of  them,  and  said,  Sirs,  ye  should  have  hearkened  unto 
me,  and  not  have  loosed  from  Crete,  and  to  have  gained  this 


used  is  described  in  their  undergird- 
ing  the  vessel.  This  process  con- 
sisted in  passing  cables  or  chains 
around  the  whole  body  of  the  ship, 
and  drawing  them  tightly  together, 
thus  preventing  the  timbers  from  sep- 
arating, or  bilging,  in  the  concussion 
of  tlie  sea.  This  was  more  neces- 
sary, in  ancient  times,  when  the  art 
of  ship-building  was  less  perfect ; 
but  modem  instances  have  occurred. 
Thus  Walters,  in  his  account  of  Lord 
Anson's  voyage  round  the  world, 
speaking  of  a  Spanish  man-of-war  in 
a  storm,  says,  "They  were  obliged 
to  throw  overboard  all  their  upper- 
deck  guns,  and  to  take  six  turns  of 
the  cable  round  the  ship,  to  prevent 
her  opening."  —  Fearing  leM  they 
should  fall  into  the  quicksands.  Or, 
in  Greek,  "  the  syrtis."  Some  sup- 
pose that  any  shoals  or  sand-banks 
are  here  meant,  while  others  contend 
that  there  is  special  reference  to  the 
St/His  Major,  or  greater  quicksand, 
lying  on  the  northern  coast  of  Afri- 
ca, west  of  Cyrene,  a  place  of  great 
danger,  and  towards  which  a  north- 
easter would  directly  drive  them, 
from  the  Island  of  Clauda.  The  dis- 
tance, however,  was  very  great.  The 
Syrtis  Minor,  or  less  quicksand,  was 
farther  west,  on  the  coast  of  Africa, 
near  Carthage.  These  were  Avide, 
shallow  gulfs,  filled  M'ith  movable 
sands^  impossible  to  be  ascertained 
with  anv  accuracy,  because  constant- 
ly in  fluctuation  by  the  winds  and 
waves,  and  fatal  to  the  vessel  strand- 
ed upon  them,  so  that  Josophus  says, 


they  were  "  dreadful  even  to  those 
who  heard  them  spoken  of"  —  Stroke 
sail.  Or,  better,  "  lowered  the  mast," 
to  give  the  wind  less  power  over  the 
vessel,  for  the  sails  had  probably 
been  furled  before.  Ver.  15.  An- 
cient ships  had  usually  but  one  mast, 
which  played  at  the  base  in  a  socket, 
and  could  be  raised  or  let  down  at 
pleasure. 

18,  19.  They  lightened  the  ship. 
By  casting  overboard  the  freight,  or 
lading,  or  a  part  of  it.  —  Cast  out 
loith  our  oivn  hands  the  tackling,  ^*c. 
It  would  seem  that  the  passengers 
and  prisoners  assisted  in  throwing 
into  the  sea  the  rigging,  or  apparatus 
of  the  vessel,  as  cables,  anchors,  sails, 
&,c.,  and  tlie  term  "  tackling  "  may 
also  include  the  baggage  of  tliose  on 
board. 

20.  JVeither  sun  nor  stars.  As 
mariners,  at  tliat  period,  had  no  com- 
pass, "  navigation's  soul,"  they  could 
only  tell  their  direction  by  the  heav- 
enly bodies ;  and  when,  as  in  the 
present  instance,  the  sky  was  over- 
clouded for  many  days,  they  lost  all 
idea  of  their  whereabouts,  and  drift- 
ed hither  and  tliither,  in  this  dis- 
tressed and  hopeless  condition,  at 
the  entire  mercy  of  the  elements. 

21.  JJJler  long  abstinence.  Being 
occupied  with  the  care  of  the  vessel, 
and  disinclined  to  eat,  on  account  of 
their  fear.  It  is  improbable  that  they 
totally  abstained,  during  tliis  long 
period.  —  Gained  this  harm  and  loss. 
This  has  been  explained,  "  to  incur 
all  this    harm    and   loss ; "    or,   by 


XXVIL] 


OF  THE   APOSTLES. 


319 


22  harm  and  loss.  And  now  I  exhort  you  to  be  of  good  cheer ; 
for  there  shall  be  no  loss  of  any  man's  life  among  you,  but  of 

23  the  ship.     For  there  stood  by  me  this  night  the  angel  of  God, 

24  whose  I  am,  and  whom  I  serve,  saying,  Fear  not,  Paul ;  thou 
must  be  brought  before  Cesar :   and  lo,  God  hath  given  thee  all 

25  them  that  sail  with  thee.     Wherefore,  sirs,  be  of  good  cheer  :  for 

26  I  believe  God,  that  it  shall  be  even  as  it  was  told  me.     Howbeit, 

27  we  must  be  cast  upon  a  certain  island. But  when  the  four- 
teenth night  was  come,  as  we  were  driven  up  and  down  in  Adria, 
about  midnight  the  shipmen  deemed  that  they  drew  near  to  some 

28  country ;  and  sounded,  and  found  it  twenty  fathoms :  and  when 
they  had  gone  a  little  further,  they  sounded  again,  and  found  it 

29  fifteen  fathoms.  Then  fearing  lest  they  should  have  fallen  upon 
rocks,  they  cast  four  anchors  out  of  the  stern,  and  wished  for  the 

30  day.  And  as  the  shipmen  were  about  to  flee  out  of  the  ship, 
when  they  had  let  down  the  boat  into  the  sea,  under  color  as 


Bloomfield,  that  they  should  not  have 
loosed  from  Crete,  for  in  that  case 
they  would  have  been  gainers  by,  or 
as  much  as,  all  this  harm  and  loss, 
i.  e.  they  would  have  been  gainers 
by  having  what  they  had  now  lost. 

24.  Out  of  regard  to  Paul,  the  rest 
were  preserved.  This  law  is  else- 
where illustrated  in  the  Scriptures. 
Gen.  xviii. ;  Jon.  i.  Every  righteous 
man  is  a  bulwark  to  his  city  and 
country  ;  while  every  wicked  man  is 
so  much  loss  and  dangler  to  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  lives.  The  prov- 
idence of  SLX  thousand  years  has  il- 
lustrated this  doctrine,  and  left  its 
examples  in  every  clime  and  age. 

27.  The  fourteenth  night,  i.  e.  since 
the  storm  began.  Ver.  14.  —  In 
Mria,  i.  e.  the  Adriatic  Sea,  which 
then  included,  according  to  Strabo, 
Ptolemy,  and  other  geographers,  not 
only  what  is  called  the  Adriatic  Gulf, 
or  the  Gulf  of  Venice,  but  that  por- 
tion of  the  Mediterranean  lying  be- 
tween Greece,  Africa,  Sicily,  and 
Italy,  and  sometimes  called  the  Io- 
nian Sea.  This  is  evident,  from  the 
situation  of  Melita,  or  Malta,  chip. 


xxviii.  1,  which  lies  south  of  Sicily. 
—  The  shipmen.  The  sailors.  —  Drew 
near  to  some  country.  There  are  va- 
rious signs  addressed  to  eye,  and 
ear,  and  smell,  by  which  experienced 
mariners,  even  in  the  night,  could 
discover  their  approach  to  land. 

28.  Sounded.  Or,  "  heaving  the 
lead ;  "  throwing  into  the  sea  a  line 
with  lead  upon  the  end  of  it,  by 
wiiich  to  ascertain  the  depth  of  the 
water.  —  Twenty  fathoms.  Or,  one 
hundred  and  twenty  feet,  a  fathom 
being  six  feet  This  denomination 
is  taken  from  the  space  measured  by 
the  arms,  when  extended  to  tlieir  full 
length  laterally. 

29.  Fearing.  Because  tPie  dimin- 
ished depth  showed  a  rapid  approach 
to  land.  —  Cast  four  anchors  out  of 
the  stem.  The  modern  custom  is  to 
cast  anchors  from  the  bows,  or  fore- 
part of  the  vessel,  not  from  the  stern, 
or  hind-part ;  though  it  is  said  that 
Egyptian  sailors  still  observe  the  an- 
cient usage  of  the  text 

30.  The  shijpmen.  Sailors  ;  those 
who  managed  the  vessel.  —  Under 
color.      Or,   pretence.      They  were 


320 


THE  ACTS 


[CiiAr. 


though  they  would  have  cast  anchors  out  of  the  foreship,  Paul  31 
said  to  the  centurion,  and  to  the  soldiers,  Except  these  abide  in 
the  ship,  ye  cannot  be  saved.      Then  the   soldiers  cut  off  the  32 
ropes  of  the  boat,  and  let  her  fall  off.     And  while  the  day  was  33 
coming  on,  Paul  besought  them  all  to  take  meat,  saying,  This 
day  is  the  fourteenth  day  that  ye  have  tarried,  and  continued 
fasting,  having  taken  nothing.     Wherefore  I  pray  you  to  take  34 
some  meat ;    for  this  is   for   your   health :    for  there  shall  not  a 
hair  fall  from  the  head  of  any  of  you.     And  when  he  had  thus  35 
spoken,  he  took  bread,  and  gave  thanks  to  God  in  presence  of 
them  all ;   and  when  he  had  broken  it,  he  began  to  eat.     Then  36 
were  they  all  of  good  cheer,  and  they  also  took  some  meat.    And  37 
we  were  in  all  in  the  ship  two  hundred  three-score  and  sixteen 


about  to  make  use  of  their  control  of 
trie  ship,  and  management  of  its  appa- 
ratus, to  escape  from  the  doomed  ves- 
sel, and,  by  this  cowardly  act,  save 
their  own  lives,  while  they  left  the 
rest  to  perish  without  aid. — Fort- 
ship.  Or,  forecastle.  —  Kxcept  these 
abide,  Sfc.  Though  the  promise  of 
safety  had  gone  forth,  yet  its  fulfil- 
ment depended  on  the  contingency 
of  human  means  and  efforts.  An 
important  lesson  is  here  taught  of 
the  necessity  of  man's  cooperation 
in  bringing  to  pass  the  divine  will 
respecting  his  Avelfare. 

32.  The  soldiers  interfered,  and, 
by  cutting  the  boat  adrift,  they  took 
away  the  means  of  escape  from  the 
sailors. 

33-36.  Having  taken  nothing. 
Or,  comparatively,  nothing ;  for  they 
could  not  have  survived  fourteen 
days,  if  they  had  literally  eaten  noth- 
ing. —  Meat,  i.  e.  food,  whether  vege- 
table or  animal.  —  For  your  health. 
Or,  for  yo!ir  safety;  because  they 
would  be  much  less  able  to  bear  the 
hardships  and  dangers  of  shipwreck, 
unless  they  Avere  refreshed  with  food. 
—  JVot  a  hair  fall  from  the  head,  S,'c. 
No  injury  should  befall  one  of  them. 
1  Kings  i.  52;  Mat.  x.  30;  Luke 
xxi.  18.  —  Gave  thanks  to  God.     His 


spiritual  mind  could  discern  matter 
for  gratitude,  even  in  that  dark  and 
dreadful  hour;  though  he  was  a  pris- 
oner, poor,  endangered,  apparently 
just  ready  to  be  swallowed  up  in 
the  deep,  or,  if  saved,  saved  to  en- 
dure the  tender  mercies  of  men  more 
cruel  than  the  elements,  yet,  from  the 
deck  of  that  tempest-tost  vessel,  there 
mingled  with  the  howling  winds  and 
waves  a  voice  of  thankfulness  and 
praise.  Such  was  the  faith  of  Paul ; 
such  is  the  faith  of  the  gospel.  —  ,Ml 
of  good  cheer.  So  inspiring  was  the 
courage  of  the  apostle,  tliat  it  reani- 
mated their  spirits,  and  summoned 
into  action  their  powers,  and  pre- 
pared them  to  take  those  measures 
witli  vigor  and  hope  by  which  their 
safety  could  be  secured.  Hoav  many 
companies  of  men  have  perished  help- 
lessly on  land  and  on  sea,  because 
there  was  no  God-trusting,  heaven- 
strong  soul,  that  could  inspire  self- 
possession,  courage,  and  hope ! 

37.  TiDo  hundred  three-score  and 
sixteen  sords.  If  two  hundred  and 
seventy-six  seem  to  be  a  large  num- 
ber for  a  merchant  vessel,  we  may 
call  to  mind  that  the  ships  engaged 
in  the  grain  trade,  from  Egypt  to  It- 
aly, were  of  very  large  dimensions, 
and  that  Josephus,  in  his  Life,  relates 


XXVILl 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


321 


38  souls.      And  when  they  had  eaten  enough,  they  lightened  the 

39  ship,  and  cast  out  the  wheat  into  the  sea.  And  when  it  was 
day,  they  knew  not  the  land :  but  they  discovered  a  certain 
creek  with  a  shore,  into  the  which  they  were  minded,  if  it  were 

40  possible,  to  thrust  in  the  ship.  And  when  they  had  taken  up  the 
anchors,  they  committed  themselves  unto  the  sea,  and  loosed  the 
rudder-bands,  and  hoised  up  the  mainsail  to  the  wind,  and  ni.ide 

41  toward  shore.  And  falling  into  a  place  where  two  seas  met, 
they  ran  the  ship  aground ;  and  the  forepart  stuck  fast,  and 
remained  unmovable,  but  the  hinder  part  was  broken  with  the 

42  violence  of  the  waves. And  the  soldiers'  counsel  was  to  kill 

the  prisoners,  lest  any  of  them  should  swim  out,  and  escape. 


his  being  shipwrecked  in  the  Adriatic 
Sea,  with  six  hundred  men  on  board. 

38.  Cast  out  the  wheat.  Or,  grain, 
which  probably  constituted  a  great 
portion  of  the  freight  of  the  vessel. 

39.  They  hitw  not  the  laruL  They 
did  not  recognize  where  tiiey  were. 
They  had  been  driven  so  long  hither 
and  thither,  in  the  tempest,  that  they 
had  lost  all  notion  of  where  they 
were.  —  A  ceHain  creek  with  a  shore. 
They  saw  a  bay,  or  inlet,  making  up 
from  the  sea  into  the  land,  and  con- 
cluded to  run  the  vessel  ashore. 
The  people  of  Malta  still  call  a  bay 
on  the  north-east  coast  of  tlieir  island 
the  "  Port  of  St  Paul,"  and  profess  to 
identify  the  spot  where  the  ship  was 
stranded. 

40.  Taken  up  the  anchors.  Or,  as 
the  margin  reads,  "  cut  the  anchors, 
they  left  them  in  the  sea."  These 
were  the  anchors  which  they  had 
cast  in.  Ver.  29.  —  Committed  them- 
selves unto  the  sea.  Or,  better,  "  they 
let  go  the  anchors  into  the  sea," 
wishing  to  lighten  the  vessel  as 
much  as  possible  before  it  struck, 
ver.  38,  and  having  no  further  use 
for  them.  —  Loosed  the  rudder-bands. 
Or,  the  bands  or  cords  of  the  rud- 
ders, for  ancient  ships  often  had 
more  than  one  helm.  While  at  an- 
chor, these  were  fastened ;  but,  wish- 


ing to  steer  the  ship  to  tlie  land,  they 
then  loosed  them,  so  that  they  miglit 
command  the  direction  of  the  vessel. 
—  Hoised  up  the  mainsail,  ^*c.  It  is 
doubtful  what  sail  is  meant  in  the 
original,  though  it  is  probable  that 
it  was  not  the  mainsail ;  but  the  pur- 
pose is  sufficiently  evident,  which 
was,  to  drive  the  vessel  ashore  with 
as  much  impetus  and  as  far  as  possi- 
ble. Many  of  the  nautical  terms 
used  in  this  chapter  are  difficult  to 
be  understood,  on  account  of  the 
difference  between  ancient  and  mod- 
ern ship-building  and  navigation, 
though  the  particularity,  and,  so  to 
speak,  technicality,  with  which  the 
various  parts  of  the  vessel,  and  the 
operations  of  the  sailors,  are  detailed, 
show  an  attentive  and  trustworthy 
eye-witness. 

41.  Into  a  place  where  two  seas  met. 
They  ran  upon  a  sand-bank,  which 
projected  out  into  the  sea,  and  aroun  1 
which  there  would  necessarily  be 
conflicting  eddies.  —  The  forepart. 
The  bows,  or  forecastle.  The  head 
of  tJie  vessel  was  plunged  into  the 
sand,  and  held  fast,  while  tlie  stern 
was  exposed  to  the  violence  of  the 
waves,  and  broken  to  pieces. 

42.  To  kill  tlie  prisoners,  &fc.  The 
strictness  of  the  Roman  discipline 
was  such,  that  soldiers  were  held  re- 


3*^ 


THE  ACTS 


[Chaf 


But  the  centurion,  willing  to  save  Paul,  kept  them  from  their  41 
purpose,  and  commanded  that  they  which  could  swim,  should 
cast  themselves  first  into  the  sea,  and  get  to  land  :  and  the  rest,  44 
some  on  boards,  and  some  on  broken  pieces  of  the  ship.     And  so 
it  came  to  pass,  that  they  escaped  all  safe  to  land. 


CHAPTER   XXVIII. 

The   Voyage  of  Paul  from  Melita ;    his  Arrival  at  Rome;    Discourse  before  the 
Jews,  and  Imprisonment  of  Two  Years. 

And  when  they  ^ere  escaped,  then  they  knew  that  the  island 


sponsible  for  the  escape  of  those  un- 
der their  keeping,  and  were  visited 
with  an  equal  punishment  as  that  to 
which  the  prisoners  themselves  were 
exposed.  See  chap.  xii.  ]  9,  and  note. 
The  military  guard,  in  this  case, 
therefore,  were  driven  to  the  cruel 
alternative  they  proposed  by  the 
despotic  severity  under  which  they 
served  —  a  proposal  the  more  horri- 
ble, after  the  mutual  preservation 
which  all  had  enjoyed  from  the  im- 
mment  peril  of  their  lives.  But  the 
prisoners  escaped  the  savage  ele- 
ments only  to  be  exposed  to  tlie 
plots  of  more  savage  men. 

43.  Willing  to  save  Paul.  Strong- 
er, "  wishing,"  desiring,  to  save  tlie 
apostle.  He  had  become  much  in- 
terested in  him  during  the  voyage, 
and  respected  him  higiily,  for  he  saw 
that  he  was  far  more  than  an  ordi- 
nary man.  —  Which  could  sivini.  By 
sending  those  ashore  first,  there  Avere 
means  left  for  tlie  rest  to  escape,  by 
floating  to  land  on  parts  of  the  shat- 
tered vessel,  and  its  apparatus  and 
lading.     Ps.  cvii.  23-31. 

44.  They  escaped  all  safe.  Thus 
was  the  prediction  of  ver.  24,  34,  ful- 
filled, and  the  word  of  the  apostle 
confirmed.  It  is  apparent,  here,  and 
throughout  the  chapter,  tliat  the  in- 
cidents are  minutely  related,  because 
they  all  have  moral  bearings  illustrat- 
ing the  superior  wisdom  of  the  man 
of  God,  ver.  30,  his  protection  by 


heaven,  ver.  24,  his  self-possession 
and  courage  in  the  most  appalling 
dangers,  ver.  22, 25,  his  devout  thank- 
fulness, ver.  35,  the  respect  he  in- 
spired in  the  stem  Roman  centurion, 
and  the  exact  fulfilment  of  the  proph- 
ecy which  he  had  made  respecting 
their  escape,  ver.  43, 44.  In  the  midst 
of  that  crowded  ship,  the  blackness 
of  the  tempest,  and  tlie  horrors  of 
shipwreck,  there  is  ever  one  figure 
which  arrests  and  confines  our  at- 
tention —  the  serene  and  holy  coun- 
tenance of  the  heaven-trusting  PauL 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
1.  Melita.  Or,  Malta,  as  now 
called.  Chap,  xxvii.  26.  Several 
writers  have  attempted  to  identify  this 
island  with  Melita,  or,  in  its  modern 
name,  Maleda,  or  Mai  ad  a,  an  isle  in 
the  Adriatic  Gulf,  or  Gulf  of  Ven- 
ice, near  the  ancient  Illyricum.  But 
that  would  have  been  far  out  of  the 
track  of  a  voyage  from  Cesarea  to 
Rome,  and  an  Alexandrian  ship 
(ver.  11)  would  not  have  been  likely 
to  winter  at  a  port  so  far  removed 
from  the  usual  route.  Besides,  their 
subsequently  touching  at  Syracuse 
and  Rhegium  shoAvs  clearly  that  they 
came  from  ]\Ialta,  south  of  Sicily. 
The  island  is  about  sixty  miles  in 
circumference,  and  about  the  same 
number  of  miles  distant  from  Sicily. 
It  consists  of  a  vast  rock,  covered 
with  a  shallow  but  very  fertile  soil. 


XXVIII.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


323 


2  was  called  Melita.  And  the  barbarous  people  showed  us  no 
little  kindness :  for  they  kindled  a  fire,  and  received  us  every 
one,  because  of  the  present  rain,  and  because  of  the  cold. 

3  And  when  Paul  had  gathered  a  bundle  of  sticks,  and  laid  them 
on  the  fire,  there  came  a  viper  out  of  the  heat,  and  fastened  on 

4  his  hand.  And  when  the  barbarians  saw  the  venomous  beast 
hang  on  his  hand,  they  said  among  themselves.  No  doubt  this 
man  is  a  murderer,  whom,  though  he  hath  escaped  the  sea,  yet 

5  vengeance  suffereth  not  to  live.     And  he  shook  off  the  beast  into 

6  the  fire,  and  felt  no  harm.  Howbeit,  they  looked  when  he  should 
have  swollen,  or  fallen  down  dead  suddenly  :   but  after  they  had 


and  containing  as  dense  a  population 
as  any  country  in  Europe,  in  propor- 
tion to  its  size.  The  order  of  Knights 
of  St  John  of  Jerusalem,  or  the 
Hospitallers,  was  establislied  here 
after  being  driven  from  Rhodes  by 
the  Turks.  The  island  is  now  under 
the  jurisdiction  of  Great  Britain. 

2.  Barbarous.  This  epithet  is 
applied,  not  as  descriptive  of  their 
character,  but  as  distinguishing  them 
from  Greeks  and  Romans,  who  were 
accustomed  to  call  all  otlier  nations, 
or  those  who  did  not  use  their  lan- 
guage, barbarians.  The  kindness 
showed  to  the  shipwrecked  stran- 
gers proved  how  little  entitled  these 
people  were  to  be  thus  styled,  at 
least  in  a  moral  point  of  view. 
Malta  was  originally  settled  by  a 
colony  from  Carthage  which  spoke 
the  Phoenician  language.  — The  pres- 
ent rain,  ^c.  The  storm  still  con- 
tinued, and  was  attended  by  cold,  as 
is  usual,  even  in  warm  climates,  in 
the  winter  or  rainy  season. 

8.  A  bundle  of  sticks.  We  wit- 
ness tlie  apostle  disdaining  no  labor, 
and  shrinking  from  no  hardship,  but 
contributing  his  utmost  to  aid  and 
cheer  others.  —  A  viper.  This  small 
but  venomous  reptile  Avas  concealed 
among  the  fuel,  benumbed  by  the 
cold ;  but,  as  soon  as  it  felt  the 
warmth  of  the  fire,  it  regained  its 
activity,  and  struck  at  the  hand  of 


Paul.  —  Out  of  the  heat.  Or,  as  ren- 
dered by  Tyndale,  "Be  cause  off  the 
heet"  Because  of  the  heat;  —  the 
reptile  was  driven  out  of  his  lurking- 
place  by  the  fire.  —  Fastened  on  his 
hand.     Doubtless,  bit  him. 

4.  Beast.  A  literal  translation 
would  be  "little  beast,"  though  it 
would  be  preferable  to  render  it 
"  animal."  —  Yet  vengeance  suffereth 
not  to  live.  Or,  Dike,  or  JVemesiSf 
the  heathen  goddess  of  vindictive 
justice,  who  was  believed  to  avenge 
the  cause  of  the  injured,  and  punish 
the  guilty  —  the  idea  of  a  retributive 
Providence,  darkly  shadowed  forth 
in  tiie  pagan  mythology.  The  rude 
and  superstitious  people  of  Malta 
were  quick  to  interpret  every  event 
as  some  special  sign,  and  to  leap  to 
the  conclusion  that  Paul  must  be  a 
very  great  criminal,  because  he  had 
been  bitten  by  a  serpent,  and,  though 
he  had  escaped  the  devouring  sea, 
justice  was  in  full  pursuit,  and 
had,  at  last,  overtaken  him.  This 
habit  of  mind  is  restricted  to  no  one 
class  or  period.  There  is  much  of 
the  disposition  rebuked  by  our  Lord 
in  Luke  xiii.  1-5,  still  among  men, 
and  they  are  too  prone  to  look  for 
special  judorments,  especially  upon 
their  enemies. 

5,  0.  Felt  no  harm.  The  most 
direct  and  natural  inference  from 
tlie  narrative  is,  that  the  apostle  was 


324  THE   ACTS  [Chap. 

looked  a  great  while,  and  saw  no  harm  come  to  him,  they  changed 

their  minds,  and  said  that  he  was  a  god. In  the  same  quar-  7 

ters  were  possessions  of  the  chief  man  of  the  island,  whose  name 
was  Publius ;   who  received  us,  and  lodged  us  three  days  cour- 
teously.     And  it  came  to  pass,  that  the  father  of  Publius  lay  8 
sick  of  a  fever,  and  of  a  bloody-flux :  to  whom  Paul  entered  in, 
and  prayed,  and  laid  his  hands  on  him,  and  healed  him.     So  9 
when  this  was  done,  others  also  which  had  diseases  in  the  island, 
came,  and  were  healed  :  who  also  honored  us  with  many  honors ;  10 
and  when  we  departed,  they  laded  us  with  such  things  as  were 
necessary. 


bitten  by  the  reptile,  and  was  mirac- 
ulously cured,  though  there  is  no 
positive  declaration  to  that  effect, 
and  interpreters  are  divided.  Mark 
xvi.  18.  —  Swollen,  or  fallen  doivn 
dead  suddenly.  The  common  symp- 
toms were  a  violent  inflammation  and 
swelling,  and  sometimes  the  patient 
dropped  down  dead  without  warning. 
—  Said  that  he  was  a  god.  Chap, 
xiv.  11-19.  This  was  but  the  same 
superstition  under  a  new  form;  run- 
ning first  to  one  extreme,  then  to 
the  otlier ;  now  shuddering  at  the 
apostle  as  a  murderer,  and  now  re- 
vering him  as  a  divinity.  Milman 
justly  remarks,  that,  "  in  the  barba- 
rous Melita,  as  in  the  barbarous 
Lystra,  the  belief  in  gods  under 
the  human  form  had  not  yet  given 
place  to  the  incredulous  spirit  of 
th-  afre." 

7.  In  the  same  quarters,  &,'c.  Or, 
region.  There  resided  the  cliief 
man,  or  Roman  governor,  Publius.  — 
Chit-f.  It  has  been  observed  that  the 
original  word,  thus  translated,  has 
been  found  in  an  ancient  monu- 
mental inscription  upon  this  island, 
applied  in  the  same  way  as  in  the 
text,  furnishing  a  curious  and  unde- 
signed coincidence.  The  Roman 
officers,  Claudius  Lysias,  Felix,  Fes- 
tus,  Julius,  Publius,  and  the  captain 
of  the  pretorian  guard,  (ver.  16,) 
were,    in     general,    courteous    and 


kind,  though  they  did  not  always 
render  justice  to  their  illustrious 
prisoner.  The  stern  military  disci- 
pline under  which  they  had  been 
trained  would  make  tliem  observant 
of  common  proprieties,  and  rigid  in 
ordinary  rules,  however  prone  they 
might  be  to  rapine  and  violence 
when  they  plunged  into  war. 

8.  A  bloody-Jiux.  In  the  Greek, 
"dysentery." — Healed  him.  Though 
Luke,  a  physician,  was  there,  the 
disorder  required  a  more  potent  in- 
fluence than  his  to  be  expelled  from 
the  patient;  and,  Avith  the  usual 
devout  signs  and  imploring  of  the 
blessing  of  Heaven,  that  greater 
power  descended  at  the  instance  of 
Paul. 

9,  10.  So  ivhen  this  was  done,  fyc. 
This  was  the  signal  to  new  applica- 
tions and  to  new  cures.  Though  the 
inhabitants  had  erroneously  supposed 
the  apostle  to  be  a  god  in  human 
disguise,  yet  they  found,  by  joyful 
experience,  that  he  was  tlie  bearer 
of  a  more  than  mortal  skill,  and  vin- 
dicated his  alliance  with  higher 
powers  in  the  most  benevolent  deeds. 
—  With  many  honors.  Or,  honorary 
gifts.  The  kindness  which  the  peo- 
ple manifested  at  first  was  not  alien- 
ated during  their  long  stay,  but 
showered  upon  them,  at  their  de- 
parture, new  and  abundant  gifts. 


XXVIIL] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


325 


11  And  after  three  months  we  departed  in  a  ship  of  Alexandria, 
which  had  wintered  in  the  isle,  whose  sign  was  Castor  and  Pol- 

12  lux.     And  landing   at   Syracuse,    we  tarried  there  three  days. 

13  And  from  thence  we  fetched  a  compass,  and  came  to  Rhegium : 
and  after  one  day  the  south  wind  blew,  and  we  came  the  next 

14  day  to  Puteoli :   where  we  found  brethren,  and  were  desired  to 
tarry  with  them  seven  days :    and  so  we  went  toward  Rome. 


11.  Three  mordhs,  i.  e.  after  the 
winter  was  over.  —  Jl  ship  of  Alexan- 
dria. Probably  one  engaged  in  the 
like  Egyptian  grain  trade  as  the  lost 
vessel.  —  Whose  sign  was  Castor  and 
Pollux.  Or,  in  the  original,  "  Dios- 
curi," the  youths  of  Jupiter.  They 
were  fabled,  in  the  ancient  mytholo- 
gy, to  be  the  twin  sons  of  that  god 
by  Leda,  and  were  the  patrons  of 
sailors.  After  they  were  translated 
to  heaven,  they  formed  the  constella- 
tion of  Gemini,  or  Twins,  one  of  tlie 
twelve  signs  of  the  Zodiac.  It  ap- 
pears to  have  been  customary,  among 
the  ancients,  to  have  images  painted 
or  carved  at  the  prow  and  stern  of 
their  vessels.  That  at  the  fore-part 
gave  its  name  to  the  ship,  and  that 
at  the  hind-part  was  the  tutelary 
divinity  under  whose  protection  it 
sailed,  though  both  were  sometimes 
the  same.  The  "  sign  "  here  spoken 
of  was  a  species  of  figure-head,  rep- 
resenting tlie  twin  deities  as  the 
guardians  of  the  vessel. 

12.  Syracuse.  The  capital  of  Si- 
cily, situated  on  the  eastern  coast  of 
the  island;  the  birthplace  of  the 
famous  mathematician  and  philoso- 
pher, Archimedes,  and  celebrated  for 
its  wealth,  splendor,  and  arts.  Its 
modern  name  is  Siracusa,  and  it  has 
a  population  of  about  twenty  thou- 
sand. 

13.  Fetched  a  compass.  Or,  "  coast- 
ed round,"  being  obliged  to  double 
some  headland  on  their  course  to 
Italy ;  or,  to  gain  the  port  of  Rhegium 
by  tacking,  on  account  of  unfavora- 
ble win(£;    which  last  seems  the 

VOL.  III.  28 


more  probable  from  the  fact  that, 
after  they  arrived  at  Rhegium,  a  fa- 
vorable wind  sprang  up  from  the 
south  —  implying  that  they  had  not 
been  favored  with  good  winds  before. 
—  Rhegium.  The  name  of  a  town 
and  promontory,  situated  on  the  Ital- 
ian coast,  in  Calabria,  across  the 
straits  from  Sicily.  Its  present  name 
is  Rheggio.  The  place  was  nearly 
ruined  by  a  great  earthquake  in  the 
last  century.  —  Puteoli.  Now  called 
Puzzuoli.  A  town  on  what  is  now 
the  Bay  of  Naples,  south  of  Rome. 
It  was  celebrated  in  ancient  times, 
in  conjunction  with  Raise  and  Mi- 
senum,  in  the  same  vicinity,  as  a 
great  watering-place,  to  which  the 
luxurious  Romans  resorted,  to  find 
health  and  pleasure  in  its  mineral 
waters  and  hot  baths.  Putepli  was 
so  called  from  putei,  wells.  The 
voyage  from  Syracuse  to  this  port 
took  them  through  the  straits  be- 
tween Italy  and  Sicily,  on  the  Italian 
side  of  which  were  the  noted  rocks 
called  Scylla,  and  on  the  Sicilian, 
the  whirlpool  called  Charyhdis. 

14.  Found  brethren.  The  gospel 
had  been  preached  in  Italy,  probably 
by  some  of  the  disciples  from  Jeru- 
salem, scattered  abroad  in  times  of 
persecution.  —  We  went  toward  Rome. 
By  land,  as  they  had  disembarked  at 
Puteoli,  the  usual  place  of  landing. 
The  imperial  city  was,  at  this  period, 
in  all  its  glory,  and  contained  a  pop- 
ulation of  several  millions  of  inhab- 
itants. Its  power  was  irresistible 
throughout  the  then  known  world. 
It  was,  indeed,  a  world  in  itself; 


326  THE  ACTS  [Chap. 

And  from  thence,  when  the  brethren  heard  of  us,  they  came  to  15 
meet  us  as  far  as  Appii-Forum,  and  The  Three  Taverns  ;  whom 
when  Paul  saw,  he  thanked  God,  and  took  courage. 


filled  with  people  from  every  corner 
of  the  eartli ;  its  stupendous  amphi- 
theatres resounding  with  the  hum 
of  tens  of  thousands  of  spectators ; 
its  glorious  temples  filled  with  altars 
that  smoked  with  perpetual  incense ; 
and  its  forums  and  cabinets  deciding 
questions  which  affected  the  weal  or 
woe  of  the  most  distant  province: 
or  rather,  at  this  period,  the  palace 
of  a  single  man,  the  capricious,  san- 
guinary Nero,  sent  out  mandates 
that  were  felt,  for  good  or  ill,  in 
Asia,  Africa,  Europe,  and  the  isles 
of  the  sea.  But,  although  Rome 
was  in  all  her  outward  pomp  and 
glory,  and  dazzled  the  admiration  of 
mankind  with  her  palaces,  temples, 
columns,  theatres,  aqueducts,  arches, 
baths,  —  with  the  prowess  of  her 
armies,  the  vastness  of  her  domin- 
ions, and  the  splendor  of  her  arts, 
literature,  and  oratory,  — yet  a  worm 
was  gnawing  at  the  root ;  her  decline 
had  begun,  and  her  days  were  num- 
bered. Luxury,  corruption,  tyranny 
of  the  grossest  kind,  were  fast  doing 
their  work.  At  the  period  when  a 
new  moral  world  was  just  starting 
into  being,  in  the  religion  of  Jesus 
of  Nazareth,  and  its  most  powerful 
champion  arrived  in  this  city  a 
chained  prisoner,  the  mighty  Rome, 
overgrown  and  rotten,  —  the  great 
pagan  power,  the  Babylon  of  un- 
told abominations,  —  was  sinking 
into  ruin.  In  the  Roman  emperor 
and  the  Christian  apostle,  Nero  and 
Paul,  now  confronted  with  each 
other  in  the  same  city,  we  may 
view  an  embodiment  of  the  two 
great  systems  which  they  respec- 
tively represented,  and  read  tiieir 
characters,  and  predict  their  desti- 
nies, from  a  comparison  of  the  two 
individuals  —  the  one  sensual,  cruel, 


and  benighted,  a  raging  beast  of 
prey,  with  no  law  but  his  own  ca- 
price, and  no  aim  but  present  indul- 
gence; the  other  clear-minded  and 
spiritually-toned,  with  a  sublime 
foresight,  a  faith  reaching  into  the 
ages,  reaching  into  eternity,  a  heart 
beating  with  the  noblest  emotions  to 
God  and  man,  a  life  consecrated  to 
the  Lord  Jesus,  a  nature  trembling 
and  thrilling  with  grand  conceptions, 
and  clasping  to  itself  the  whole 
world  of  men  as  brethren,  Jew  and 
Gentile,  bond  and  free,  Roman  and 
barbarian.  Such  an  empire  must 
die;  such  a  religion  must  live. 

15.  Jlppii-Forum.  Or,  tlie  forum 
or  market-place  of  Appius.  This 
was  a  town  between  fifty  and  sixty 
miles  from  the  capital,  on  the  south, 
and  lying  upon  the  far-famed  Appian 
way,  or  road,  near  the  border  of  the 
Pontine  marshes.  The  place  is  now 
called  Casarilla  di  St.  Maria.  —  The 
Three  Taverns.  This  was  probably 
the  name  of  a  town  about  twenty 
miles  nearer  Rome,  so  called  from 
its  being  a  place  of  refreshment  and 
entertainment.  The  original  words, 
"  Tres  Tabernae,"  should  have  been 
retained,  as  the  proper  name  of  the 
town,  —  He  thanked  God,  8fc.  The 
sight  of  the  brethren,  and  the  respect 
and  afieetion  they  paid  him,  though 
loaded  with  charges  and  with  chains, 
by  coming  so  far  to  offer  their 
greetings  and  aid,  —  the  recollection 
of  his  past  trials,  of  the  late  ship- 
wreck, and  his  deliverance  from 
many  dingers,  —  all  brought  freshly 
to  mind  his  obligations  of  gratitude 
to  God,  and  awoke  a  new  courage 
and  faith.  Paul,  though  an  apostle, 
was  a  man,  and  affected  like  other 
men.  He  had  written  his  Epistle  to 
the  Roman  Christians  some  years 


XXVIIl.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


3527 


IG      And  when  we  came  to  Rome,  the  centurion  delivered  the 
prisoners  to  the  captain  of  the  guard  :   but  Paul  was  suffered  to 

17  dwell  by  himself,  with  a  soldier  that  kept  him. And  it  came 

to  pass,  that  after  three  days,  Paul  called  the  chief  of  the  Jews 
together.  And  when  .they  were  come  together,  he  said  unto 
them,  Men  and  brethren,  though  I  have  committed  nothing 
against  the  people,  or  customs  of  our  fathers,  yet  was  I  delivered 

18  prisoner  from  Jerusalem  into  the  hands  of  the  Romans :    who 
when  they  had  examined   me,  would  have  let  me  go,  because 

19  there  was  no  cause  of  death  in  me.     But  when  the  Jews  spake 
against  it,  I  was  constrained  to  appeal  unto  Cesar ;    not  that  I 

20  had   aught  to  accuse  my  nation  of     For  this  cause  therefore 
have  I  called  for  you,  to  see  you,  and  to  speak  with  you:    be- 


before,  and  it  refreshed  his  spirit  to 
see  them  face  to  face.  Rom.  i.  9  - 15. 
See  the  affectionate  mention  of  many 
he  knew  contained  in  Rom.  xvi. 

16.  To  the  captain  of  the  guard. 
The  prefect  of  the  pretorian  guard, 
whose  name,  as  we  learn  from  Taci- 
tus, was  Biurhus  Afranius.  It  was 
the  prescribed  duty  of  this  officer  to 
.take  charge  of  persons  accused  and 
bound  for  trial,  —  By  himself,  i.  e. 
apart  from  the  common  prisoners. 
Luther  and  others  road,  "  where  he 
pleased."  —  fVith  a  soldier,  ^r.  Paul 
was  allowed  all  the  freedom  com- 
patible with  his  being  a  prisoner, 
but  Avas  confined  to  a  soldier  by  a 
chain  passing  from  the  right  ann  of 
one  to  the  left  arm  of  the  other. 
Ver.  20. 

17.  Called  the  chief  of  the  Jews,  ^r. 
He  wished  to  gain  the  attention  of 
the  Jews,  not  merely  to  a  vindication 
-of  himself,  as  a  private  individual, 
against  the  accusations  of  his  ene- 
mies, but  also  to  bring  to  their  seri- 
ous consideration  tlie  whole  subject 
of  the  Christian  faith.  —  Men  and 
brethren.  Brethren. — JVothing  against 
the  people,  or  customs  of  oar  fathers, 
8fc.  Such  were  the  charges  lodged 
against  his  character.  Chap.  xxi. 
28,  xxiv.  5,  6. 


See 


18.  Would  have  let  me 
chap.   xxiv.   26,  27,  xxv.   '4d,  xxvi. 


e  go. 
•  25, 

31,  32.  —  J^o  cause  of  death.  He 
Avas  found  to  have  committed  no 
crime  punishable  with  death. 

19,  20.  The  Jews  spake  against 
it.  They  interposed,  to  prevent  his 
being  set  at  liberty.  Chap.  xxiv.  27. 
And,  in  order  to  escape  their  machi- 
nations, he  was  forced  to  appeal  to 
the  bar  of  the  emperor.  —  JVot  that 
I  had  aught  to  accuse  my  nation  of. 
He  did  not  mean  that  he  had  not, 
in  reality,  great  cause  of  complaint 
against  his  countrymen,  but  that  it 
was  not  the  object  of  his  appeal  to 
bring  any  accusation  against  them 
before  the  emperor,  for  that  what  he 
aimed  at  was  to  vindicate  his  inno- 
cence, and  obtain  safety,  and  liberty 
to  preach  the  gospel.  He  forgave 
them  their  injurious  conduct,  and 
only  sought  his  own  liberation. — 
For  the  hope  of  Israel,  i.  e.  for  the 
grand  hope  of  their  nation,  the  hope 
of  a  Messiah,  which  he  maintained 
had  been  fulfilled  in  Jesus  of  Naza- 
reth, but  which  they  denied.  Chap, 
xxvi.  6,  7.  Some  interpreters  also 
include,  under  tliis  general  term,  the 
hope  of  the  resurrection  and  of  a 
future  life,  as  stated  in  another  place 
by  Paul  himself     Chap,  xxiii.  6. — 


328  THE  ACTS  [Chap. 

cause  that  for  the  hope  of  Israel  I  am  bound  with  this  chain. 
And   they  said  unto  him,   We  neither  received  letters  out  of  21 
Judea  concerning  thee,  neither  any  of  the  brethren  that  came 
showed  or  spake  any  harm  of  thee.     But  we  desire  to  hear  of  22 
thee,  what  thou  thinkest :    for  as  concerning  this  sect,  we  know 

that  every  where  it  is  spoken  against. And  when  they  had  23 

appointed  him  a  day,  there  came  many  to  him  into  his  lodging ; 
to  whom  he  expounded  and  testified  the  kingdom  of  God,  per- 
suading them  concerning  Jesus,  both  out  of  the  law  of  Moses, 
and  out  of  the  prophets,  from  morning  till  evening.     And  some  24 
believed  the  things  which  were  spoken,  and  some  believed  not. 
And   when  they  agreed  not   among  themselves,  they  departed,  25 
after  that   Paul  had  spoken  one  word,  Well  spake  the   Holy 
Ghost  by  Esaias  the  prophet  unto  our  fathers,  saying.  Go  unto  26 
this  people,  and  say.  Hearing  ye  shall  hear,  and  shall  not  un- 
derstand ;   and  seeing  ye  shall  see,  and  not  perceive.     For  the  27 
heart  of  this  people  is  waxed  gross,  and  their  ears  are  dull  of 
hearing,  and  their  eyes  have  they  closed ;  lest  they  should  see 
with  their  eyes,  and  hear  with  their  ears,  and  understand  with 
their  heart,  and  should  be  converted,  and  I  should  heal  them. 

Bound  mith  this  chain.     The   one  likely,  for  the  most  part,  composed 

with  which  he  was  connected  to  the  of  Gentiles. 

soldier  that  kept  him.  Ver.  16.  23.  His  lodging.  He  was  not 
21,  22.  We  neither  received  let-  permitted  to  leave  his  house.  Ver. 
tei's,  Sfc.  The  intercourse  between  16.  —  Concerning  Jesus.  Having 
Rome  and  Judea  was,  at  different  gained  their  attention  at  the  previous 
periods,  interrupted  by  the  disorders  interview,  he  collected  them  together 
of  the  times ;  and,  furthermore,  the  again,  to  proclaim  the  doctrine  of 
Jews,  no  doubt,  dropped  the  prose-  the  Messiah,  and  to  argue  with  them, 
cution,  and  declined  pressing  it  any  from  their  own  lawgiver  and  prophets, 
further,  or  appearing  at  the  imperial  that  he  had  actually  come,  and  ful- 
court.  —  That  every  where  it  is  spoken  filled  tlie  long-deferred  hope.  His 
against.  The  intelligence  of  such  zeal  was  such  that  he  spent  a  whole 
a  party  or  sect  (see  on  heresy,  note,  day  in  reasoning  with  them,  to  con- 
chap,  xxiv.  14)  had  reached  them,  vince  them  of  the  truth, 
but  it  came  loaded  with  universal  re-  24,  25.  The  result  of  his  preach- 
proach.  Justin  Martyr  says  that  the  ing  was  the  same  as  every  where 
Jews  at  Jerusalem  sent  messengers  else :  some  fell  into  the  ranks  of 
to  prejudice  their  brethren,  in  every  unbelief,  and  others  yielded  to  the 
part  of  the  world,  against  the  disci-  highest  convictions  of  duty. — Esaias. 
pies  of  Christ  The  auditors  of  Paul  Is.  vi.  9,  10.  This  passage  was  also 
knew  little,  apparently,  of  the  Chris-  quoted  by  our  Lord,  and  applied  to 
tian  church  in  their  very  midst,  per-  the  prejudiced  and  hardened  Jews, 
haps  on  account  of  its  being,  as  is  See  Mat  xiii.  14,  15;  John  xii.  39, 


xxvm.] 


OF  THE  APOSTLES. 


329 


28  Be  it  known  therefore  unto  you,  that  the  salvation  of  God  is 

29  sent  unto  the  Gentiles,  and  that  they  will  hear  it.  And  when 
he  had  said  these  words,  the  Jews  departed,  and  had  great 
reasoning  among  themselves. 

30  And  Paul  dwelt  two   whole  years  in  his  own  hired  house, 

31  and  received  all  that  came  in  unto  him,  preaching  the  kingdom 


40.  Indignant  at  their  blindness  and 
obstinacy,  the  apostle  took  up  the 
burning  strain  of  the  ancient  prophet, 
as  applicable  to  their  condition. 

28.  The  salvation  of  God,  i.  e. 
through  the  instrumentality  of  the 
gospel.  —  Sent  unto  the  Gentiles,  &fc. 
If  rejected  by  the  Jews,  it  would  be 
welcomed  by  the  Gentiles,  as  it  had 
been  already.  He  would  thus  ap- 
peal to  their  shame ;  that  the  glo- 
rious hope  and  desire  of  their  nation 
should  be  received  by  the  despised 
sinners  and  outcasts  of  the  earth,  as 
they  regarded  them,  sooner  than  by 
the  chosen  people  themselves. 

29.  This  verse  is  excluded,  as  spu- 
rious, by  Griesbach  and  other  critics, 
not  being  found  in  the  best  ancient 
authorities. 

30.  31.  Two  whole  years  in  his  oivn 
hired  house.  This  expression  implies 
that,  at  the  expiration  of  this  period, 
he  was  set  at  liberty,  according  to 
the  opinion  of  antiquity.  It  would 
appear,  from  the  text,  that  he  re- 
mained two  years  in  the  custody  of 
the  soldier,  because  his  case  was  not 
decided  by  the  emperor.  Still  he 
was  not  restrained  from  the  exercise 
of  his  apostolic  functions,  but  em- 
ployed the  time  in  publicly  preach- 
ing, and  privately  teaching,  with  all 
the  confidence  and  zeal  with  which 
his  labors  were  always  character- 
ized. Phil.  i.  7,  12,  13.  He  proba- 
bly wrote,  during  this  time,  several 
of  his  epistles,  as  they  contain  refer- 
ences to  his  being  a  prisoner.  See 
the  Epistles  to  the  Ephesians,  Phi- 
lippians,  Colossians,  Philemon,  and 
the  2d  to  Timothy.    It  was  also  dur- 

28* 


ing  the  same  period  that  Luke,  ac- 
cording to  the  belief  of  antiquity, 
wrote  the  book  of  the  Acts  of  the 
Apostles,  at  Rome,  whither  he  had 
come  as  a  companion  with  the  apos- 
tle. 

The  book  which  we  have  now  con- 
cluded harmonizes,  in  its  spirit  and 
object,  with  the  Gospels.  The  char- 
acter of  our  blessed  Lord,  and  the 
purpose  of  his  religion,  are  exhibited 
in  the  same  holy  and  beautiful  light 
as  in  Matthew,  Mark,  and  John; 
while,  moreover,  new  evidences  arise 
of  the  divine  origin  and  authority  of 
the  Christian  faith,  in  the  descent  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  on  the  day  of  Pente- 
cost, the  conversion  of  Paul,  the  mir- 
acles and  teachings  of  the  inspired 
apostles  and  disciples,  and  the  hero- 
ism with  which  they  braved  suffer- 
ings, chains,  and  martyrdom,  for  the 
sake  of  their  crucified  Master.  This 
book  is,  therefore,  invaluable,  as  be- 
ing the  earliest  record  of  his  church 
after  our  Saviour  had  ascended,  and 
showing  how  it  proceeded  from  stage 
to  stage ;  with  what  trials  and  dan- 
gers it  was  beset;  with  what  divine 
power  and  human  fidelity  upheld ; 
and  to  what  noble  ends,  and  immor- 
tal triumphs,  it  advanced,  of  man's 
salvation,  and  God's  glory. 

The  curtam  here  drops  upon  an 
unfinished  history.  We  know  but 
little  more  of  the  life  of  Paul,  except 
what  we  glean  from  the  uncertain 
lore  of  tradition ;  as,  that  he  was  re- 
leased, returned  to  visit  the  churches 
in  Greece,  and  was  finally  beheaded 
at  Rome,  in  the  last  year  of  the  reign 


330 


ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES.       [Chap.  XXVIIL 


of  God,  and  teaching  those  things  which  concern  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  with  all  confidence,  no  man  forbidding  him. 


of  Nero,  when  Peter  also  was  cru- 
cified. But  the  incompleteness  of 
the  narrative,  and  the  general  frag- 
mentary character  of  the  Acts,  con- 
sisting as  they  do  of  a  species  of 
memoranda,  journals,  travels,  sketch- 
es, in  no  degree  obstruct  their  aim 
and  benefit;  for  the  impression  is 
evidently,  and  perhaps  intentionally, 
conveyed,  that  these  facts  and  details 
are  of  comparatively  little  value,  ex- 
cept as  they  mirror  forth  the  form  and 
soul  of  heavenly  principles  and  god- 
like affections,  the  love  of  God  and 
man,  the  faith  and  truth  as  they  are 
in  Jesus,  the  worth  of  the  soul  for 
which  so  much  is  done  and  suflfered, 
the  peril  and  ruin  of  sin,  the  mercy 
of  God  to  the  penitent  sinner,  the 
glory  of  immortality,  the  solemnity 
of  retribution.    The  scenes,  the  fig- 


ures, the  events,  which  have  engaged 
our  attention,  were  transient,  imper- 
fect, and  mortal ;  the  language  in 
which  they  are  embodied  is  an 
incomplete  medium  of  conmiunica- 
tion,  and  we  have,  perhaps,  often 
failed  of  ascertaining  its  precise 
sense ;  but,  behind  all,  we  see  the 
shining  of  the  same  great  light,  and 
all  hearts  —  Peter's,  Stephen's,  and 
Paul's  —  responding  to  its  truth  and 
love.  Jesus  is  the  light  of  the  Acts 
of  the  Apostles,  as  of  the  Gospels, 
though  he  here  shines  with  a  reflect- 
ed, not  a  direct,  ray.  May  he  shine  in 
and  around  us,  and  in  his  light  may 
we  see  light !  Ignorant,  sinful,  and 
dying  creatures,  we  must  be  beside 
ourselves  not  to  feel  the  need  of  that 
divine  guidance,  and  that  immortal 
hope  and  salvation! 


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'  It  is  indeed  a  gem  of  English  composition,  of  sound,  vigorous 
thought  and  pure  wisdom.' — Mobile  Register. 

'  Few  tracts  have  exerted  a  more  wide  and  salutary  influence  than 
Br.  Channing's  lecture  on  Self- Culture.  It  is  a  powerful  statement 
of  encouraging  truths  set  forth  in  that  clear,  harmonious  and  impress- 
ive style  for  which  its  lamented  author  was  distinguished.  We  are 
happy  to  see  it  republished  in  so  neat  a  manner,  now  tliat  death  has 
consecrated  the  eloquent  lessons  it  conveys.  The  humblest  votary  of 
improvement  will  derive  consolation  and  guidance  from  its  pages.' — 
Boston  Miscellany. 

Practical  Ethics.  Human  Life,  or  Practical  Ethics. 
From  the  German  of  De  Wette.  Tianslated  by  Samuel 
Osgood.     2  vols.  12mo. 

'  These  lectures  have  long  enjoyed  a  high  reputation  in  Germany, 
and  other  parts  of  Europe,  and  we  hail  with  unfeigned  pleasure  their 
publication  in  this  country.  They  are  eminently  original,  profound 
and  suggestive.' — New  World. 

'  Those  interested  in  the  study  of  ethics,  will  find  in  the  present 
volumes,  a  beautiful  richness  of  illustration,  and  an  extended  con- 
sideration of  the  practical  duties  of  life ;  and  although  many  readers 
will  doubtless  dissent  from  some  of  the  author's  principles,  as  from 
his  application  of  them,  the  book  merits  a  reading,  as  exhibiting  the 
views  of  a  philosophical  and  independent  mind,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
those  which  prevail  to  a  great  extent  on  the  continent  of  Europe.' — ■ 
American  Eclectic. 

Buckminster's  Works.  The  Works  of  Joseph  Ste- 
vens Buckminster ;  with  Memoirs  of  his  Life.  Li  two 
vols.  12mo. 

'  One  of  the  first  religious  books  we  remember  to  have  read  was 
the  first  volume  of  Buckminster's  Sermons ;  and  the  beautifully 
written  life  and  two  or  three  of  the  discourses  fixed  themselves  in  the 
mind,  as  nothing  is  fixed  there  save  in  our  early  years. 

'  His  sermons,  as  sermons,  are  certainly  surpassed  by  none  in  the 
language.' — Monthly  JMzscellany. 


JAMES    MUNROE    AND    COMPANY  S    PUBLICATIONS. 


De  Wette  on  the  Old  Testament.  A  Critical  and 
Historical  Introduction  to  the  Canonical  Scriptures  of 
the  Old  Testament.  From  the  German  of  De  Wetta 
Translated  and  enlarged  by  Theodore  Parker.  2  vols. 
6vo. 

Parker's  Miscellaneous  Writings.  The  Critical 
and  Miscellaneous  Writings  of  Theodore  Parker,  Min- 
ister of  the  Second  Church  in  Roxbury. 

Contents.  A  Lesson  for  the  Day;  German  Litei-ature  ;  The  Life 
of  St.  Bernard  of  Clairvaux  :  Truth  against  the  World ;  Thoughts  on 
Labor ;  A  Discourse  of  the  Transient  and  Permanent  in  Christianity ; 
The  Pharisees  ;  On  the  Education  of  the  Laboring  Class  ;  How  to 
move  the  World ;  Primitive  Christianity ;  Strauss's  Life  of  Jesus ; 
Thoughts  on  Theology.  — 

'  We  are  gKd  to  see  these  miscellanies  republished,  and  think  all 
who  read  them  will  enjoy  their  spirit  even  when  th^  disagree  with 
their  doctrines.  The  tone  of  earnest  conviction,  the  glow  of  feeling, 
the  occasional  beauty  of  expression  in  these  pages,  is  very  refreshing.' 
— Merchants'  Magazine. 

'  The  essays  are  written  in  a  style  which  combines  the  plainness  of 
CoBBETT  with  just  the  slightest  sprinkling  of  modern  literary  Euphu- 
ism ;  a  combination  less  unattractive  than  might  at  the  first  blush  be 
inferred  from  such  a  coalition.' — Knickerbocker. 

iParker's  Discourses.  A  Discourse  on  Matters  per- 
taining to  Religion.  By  Theodore  Parker,  IMinister  of 
the  Second  Church  in  Roxbury. 

Farr's  Counsels  and  Consolations :  Containing 
Meditations  and  Pveflections  on  sixty-two  passages  of 
Scripture,  with  particular  reference  to  those  in  trouble 
and  affliction ;  to  which  are  added  four  sermons,  suited 
to  persons  in  distressing  and  mournful  circumstances. 
By  Jonathan  Farr.  Second  Edition.  Enlarged  by 
several  Prayers,  and  an  Address  to  those  who  have 
been  afflicted.     1  vol.  18mo, 

•  This  volume  is  eminently  a  work  of  compassion,  it  is  medicine, 
food,  and  air  for  the  afflicted  lonely  ones.  That  medicine  is  com- 
pounded of  ingredients  gathered  in  the  garden  of  the  Lord ;  that  food 
IS  the  bread  which  came  down  from  heaven  :  that  air  is  the  zephyry 
odor,  which  comes  from  the  paradise  of  God.  Let  the  mentally 
debilitated  take,  eat,  breathe,  and  revive.' — London  Christian  Pioneer. 


8     JAMES  MUNROE  AND  COMPANY'S  PUBLICATIONS. 

An  Oifering  of  S3nnpathy  to  the  Afflicted:  Es- 
pecially to  Parents  bereaved  of  their  Children.  Being 
a  collection  from  Manuscripts  never  before  published 
With  an  Appendix  of  Extracts,  By  Francis  Parkman. 
Third  Edition.     18mo. 

'  Though  small,  it  is  rich  in  comfort  and  instruction.  Prepared  by 
the  editor  in  a  season  of  peculiar  personal  affliction,  it  contains  many 
of  his  own  thoughts,  with  the  judicious  selections  which  he  made 
from  books  from  which  he  drew  consolation,  besides  the  original 
articles  which  at  his  request  were  furnished  by  his  brethren  in  the 
ministry.  In  the  present  edition  not  only  is  the  Appendix  —  of  Ex- 
tracts—  enlarged,  but  an  original  article  is  given  not  found  in  the 
former  editions.' — Monthly  Miscellany. 

'  We  are  not  surprised  that  Dr.  Parkman's  excellent  little  volume 
has  reached  a  third  edition.  It  has  carried  comfort  to  many  a  heart. 
We  wish  it  well  on  its  errand  of  peace.' — C/instian  Examiner. 

'  A  volume  deserving  a  cordial  welcome  to  every  htjuse  and  heart. 
The  variety  of  J;hought  and  expression,  and  yet  the  perfect  harmony 
of  tone  of  feeling  which  marks  this  spiritual  wreath  for  a  christian 
cemetery,  will  make  it  live  and  bloom  as  long  as  sorrow  is  known.' — 
HmiCs  Magazine. 

The  Holy  Land  and  its  Inhabitants.    By  S.  G. 

Bulfiuch.  Being  a  description  of  this  interesting  coun- 
tiy,  and  also  a  History  of  it,  Ancient  and  Modern,  its 
Antiquities,  &c.  &c. 

Lives  of  Eminent  Unitarians;  with  a  Notice  of 
Dissenting  Academies,  containing  Lives  of  Robertson, 
Palmer,  Priestley,  Price,  and  others.  By  the  Pvev.  W* 
Turner,  Jun.,  M.  A.     2  vols.  12mo. 

Henry  Ware,  Jr.  Views  of  Christian  Truth,  Piety, 
and  Morality,  selected  from  the  Writings  of  Dr.  Priest- 
ley. With  a  Memoir  of  his  Life.  By  Henry  Ware, 
Jr.     12mo.  pp.  288. 

'  Mr.  Ware  has  here  erected  a  noble  and  enduring  monument  of  the 
pure  and  truly  Christian  character  of  one  of  the  most  gifted  and  single- 
hearted  of  Christian  confessors.  The  Memoir,  compiled  for  the  most 
part  from  Dr.  Priestley's  own  letters,  and  other  writings,  and  drawn 
up  with  care,  is  interesting  throughout,  and  full  of  instruction.  The 
same  may  also  be  said  of  the  selection  of  sermons,  and  other  pieces 
which  make  up  the  body  of  the  work :  for  they  are  almost  exclusively 
practical,  and  present  '  views  of  Christian  truth,  piety,  and  morality, 
remarkable  for  their  good  sense,  strictness,  and  discrimination."— 
Christian  Examiner. 


JAMES    MUNROE    AND    COMPANY  S    PUBLICATIONS.  9 

Ware  on  Christian  Character.  On  the  Formation 
of  Christian  Character,  addressed  to  thosQ  who  are 
seckinc^  to  lead  a  Rehgious  Life.  By  Hemy  Ware, 
Jr.,  D.  D.     Twelfth  Edition.     18mo. 

Henry  Ware,  Jr.'s  Hints  on  Extemporaneous 
Preaching",  with  rules  for  its  government.  Third 
Edition. 

*  It  is  the  object  of  this  little  work  to  draw  the  attention  of  those 
who  are  preparing  for  the  Christian  ministry,  or  who  have  just 
entered  it,  to  a  mode  of  preaching,  which  the  writer  thinks  has  been 
too  much  discountenanced  and  despised :  but  which  under  proper 
restrictions,  he  is  persuaded  may  add  greatly  to  the  opportunities  of 
ministerial  usefulness.' — The  Preface. 

Ware's  Life  of  the  Savior-  The  Life  of  the  Savior. 
By  Henry  Ware,  Jr.,  Professor  of  Pulpit  Eloquence 
and  the  Pastoral  Care  in  Hai-^^ard  University,  pp.  284. 
Fourth  Edition.      18mo. 

*  K  we  can  suppose  any  person  to  be  a  stranger  to  the  Gospel  his- 
torians, in  a  Christian  land,  we*think  Professor  Ware's  narrative  with 
its  illustrations  would  be  to  such  a  person  a  work  of  unequalled  in- 
terest in  biography,  provided  he  possessed  a  common  share  of  moral 
sensibility.  To  one  somewhat  acquainted  with  those  histories,  perused, 
as  they  usually  are,  under  great  disadvantages  in  our  common  ver- 
sion, in  small,  detached  portions,  and  without  any  helps,  this  '  Life  of 
the  Savior '  affords  assistance,  in  various  ways,  at  once  in  a  more 
popular  and  a  more  intelligible  form  than  can  elsewhere  be  found,  so 
far  as  we  know.  This  volume  is  intended  particularly  for  the  young; 
but  it  is  a  valuable  aid  to  every  reader  of  the  Gospels ;  an  aid  to  the 
understanding  of  them,  and  an  aid  to  reflections  upon  their  truths.  It 
unites,  in  some  good  measure,  the  advantages  of  a  paraphrase  and  a 
commentary,  without  the  feebleness  of  the  former,  or  the  dryness  of 
the  latter.' — American  Monthly  Review. 

Henry  Ware,  Jr's.  Scenes  and  Characters,  Illus- 
trating Christian  Truth.  In  a  series  of  Tales,  each 
number  complete  in  itself  To  be  had  separately. 
Edited  by  the  Rev.  H.  Ware,  Jr. 

*  If  we  may  judge  of  this  series  of  little  works  from  the  two  numbers 
which  have  appeared,  we  should  say  that  it  bids  fair  to  be  eminently 
useful,  and  to  realize  whatever  we  might  expect  from  the  high 
character  of  the  writers  engaged.  They  should  be  read.  Whoever 
contributes  at  all  to  circulate  them  does  good  to  the  public' — Boston 
Daily  Advertiser. 


10        JAMES    MUNUOE    AND    COMPANY'S    PUBLICATIONS. 

1.  TRIAL  AND  SELF-DISCIPimE.    By  Miss  Savage,  Author  of '  James 
Talbot.' 

'If  the  remaining  numbers  shall  be  executed  with  the  same  sldll, 
and  the  same  deep  religious  feelings  which  pervade  the  first,  these 
little  volumes  will  be  an  important  addition  to  the  works  which  make 
religion  attractive  and  lovely.' —  Christian  Register. 

2.  TIIE  SKEPTIC.    By  Mrs.  Follen,  Author  of '  The  Well-spent  Hour.' 

'  This  is  an  admirable  little  book,  which  no  one  will  dip  into  without 
reading  through,  and  no  one  will  read  through  without  being  improved 
and  delighted.  The  argumentative  portions  are  clear  and  forcible,  and 
are  naturally  and  skillfully  interwoven  with  the  web  of  the  story. 
The  characters  are  conceived  and  sustained  wonderfully  well,  and 
never  were  the  Christian  graces  more  beautifully  and  consistently 
displayed  than  in  the  life  and  conversation  of  Alice  Grey.  We  owe  a 
debt  of  gratitude  to  the  writer  who  gives  us  so  natural  and  true  a  pic- 
ture of  the  influence  of  Christianity  upon  our  daily  and  hourly  duties, 
and  of  the  mighty  power  which  it  bestows  upon  the  character  and 
affections.' — Boston  Observer. 

%,  mm.    By  Miss  Sedg^viek,  Author  of  '  Redwood,"  &c. 

'  The  influence  of  an  enlightened  mind  and  pure  heart  is  shed,  like 
sunshine,  over  all  that  Miss  Sedgwick  writes.'. — Mrs.  Child. 

'  One  of  the  sweetest  homely  pictures  of  domestic  life  among  the 
middle  classes  of  New  England,  which  it  is  possible  to  imagine,  and 
one  full  of  the  instruction  which  makes  a  way  to  the  heart.' — TaiVs 
Magazine. 

4.  GLEAMS  OF  TRUTH.    By  the  Rev.  Joseph  Tuckerman,  D.  D. 

'  This  little  work  diflfers  from  its  predecessors  in  being  not  a  ficti- 
tious and  connected  narrative,  but  a  collection  of  detached  facts, 
anecdotes,  and  conversations,  which  actually  occurred  within  the 
writer's  own  experience.     This  difference,  while  it  adds  to  its  value, 

will  not  make  it  less  interesting,  but  the  contrary Truth 

is  strange,  and  stranger  than  fiction,  and  the  most  creative  imagina- 
tion could  not  have  conceived  more  striking  and  consistent  illustra- 
tions of  Christian  character  than  are  here  presented  to  us  to  admire 

and  imitate Nothing  can  be  more  elevating,  inspiring,  and 

encouraging,  than  the  instances  which  he  has  here  given  us.' — Boston 
Observer. 

§.  THE  BACKSLIDER.    By  the  Author  of  the '  Hugenots,'  &c. 

'  The  Blackslider  is  intended  to  illustrate  the  influence  of  Chris- 
tianity on  minds  diflferently  constituted,  particularly  on  the  two  prin- 
cipal characters  of  the  story.  In  Anna  Hope,  we  see  its  effects  on  a 
mind  naturally  well  balanced.  In  Walter  we  see  the  good  seed  scat- 
tered on  the  thin  soil ;  and  it  is  the  aim  of  the  writer  to  show  where 
the  lack  of  root  is.'  '  Such  fictions  as  the  one  before  us,  by  their 
faithful  and  graphic  representations  of  human  nature,  affect  us  fo;r 
the  time  like  reality.' — Christian  Kxaminer. 


JAMES    MUN.ROE    AND    COMPANY  S    PUBLICATIONS.         11 

6.  ALFRED ;  or,  the  Effects  of  True  Repentance.  And  the  BETTER 
PART.    By  the  Author  of  '  Sophia  Morton.' 

Mrs,  Farrar's  Life  of  John  Howard,  the  Philan* 
thropist,  with  a  Preface  by  Uev.  Henry  Ware,  Jr. 

This  volume  gives  an  interesting  narrative  of  the  Life  and  also  of 
the  various  undertaidngs  of  this  eminent  philanthropist;  it  is  vv^ritten 
with  all  the  vigor  of  the  other  vi^orks  of  its  author. 

Memoir  of  Rev,  Joseph  Tuckerman,  (Minister  to 
the  Poor.)     By  Rev.  W.  E.  Channing.     18mo. 

Jouffroy's  Ethics.  Introduction  to  Ethics :  including 
a  Critical  Survey  of  Moral  Systems.  Translated  from 
the  French  of  Jouflroy.     By  William  H.  Channing. 

This  work  consists  of  a  critical  review  of  yarious  ethical  systems ; 
aiming  to  give  a  fair  view  of  the  merits  and  demerits  of  each,  with 
especial  regard  to  the  particular  points  wherein  lay  the  faultiness  of 
each.  To  every  student  of  moral  philosophy,  and  of  the  history  of 
the  human  mind,  such  a  sketch  must  be  of  very  great  interest  and 
value. 

Bumap's  Lectures  to  Young  Men;  on  the  culti- 
vation of  the  Mind,  the  formation  of  Character,  and 
the  Conduct  of  Life.  Second  Edition.  By  George  W. 
Burnap.     1  vol.  12mo. 

•  Remarkable  for  the  intelligent  spirit  which  they  display,  and  the 
sound  moral  instructions  conveyed.' — Phila.  Ledger. 

Lectures  on  the  Sphere  and  Duties  of  Woman, 

and  other  subjects.     By  George  W.   Burnap.     1  vol. 
12mo. 

*  The  duties  of  Women,  and  especially  of  American  females,  are 
ably  defined,  and  correctly  animadverted  on.  We  take  pleasure  in 
recommending  it  as  a  work  that  all  parents  should  place  in  the  hands 
of  their  daughters,  and  the  husband  in  that  of  his  wife.' — N.  Y.  Lady's 
Companion. 

'  We  commend  the  book  to  the  attention  of  every  female,  whether 
young  or  old,  and  whatever  station  she  may  fill.  They  will  find  a 
true  friend  in  the  author,  and  cannot  fail  to  draw  improvement  from 
his  admonitions.' — Boston  Courier. 

Lectures  on  the  History  of  Christianity,    By 

George  W.  Burnap.     1  vol.  12mo. 


12        JAMES    MUNROE    AND    COMPANY'S    PUBLICATIONS. 

Memoir  of  James  Jackson,  Jr.  M.  D.  written  by 
his  Father,  with  extracts  from  his  Letters,  and  remi- 
niscences of  him  by  a  Fellow  Student.     18mo. 

Memoir  of  Nathaniel  Bowditch,  (the  Mathemati- 
cian.)    18mo. 

Dewey's  Sermons.  Discburses  on  various  subjects. 
By  Rev.  Oi-ville  Dewey.     3  vols.  12mo. 

W.  H.  Fumess.  Jesus  and  his  Biographers ;  or  the 
remarks  on  the  Four  Gospels,  revised  with  copious 
additions.     By  W.  H.  Furness.     1  vol.  8vo. 

Ripley's  Specimens  of  Foreign  Standard  Literature. 
Edited  by  George  Bipley.     14  vols.  12mo. 

Volumes  12  and  13,  containing  De  WETTE'S  HUMAN 
LIFE.     See  page  6. 

Volume  14.  SONGS  AND  BALLADS.  With  notes. 
Translated  by  Charles  T.  Brooks. 

The  Unitarian.  Conducted  by  Bernard  Whitman. 
8vo.  pp.  590. 

Meditations  for  the  Sick.   By  Jonathan  Cole.    1 8mo. 

Tracts  of  the  American  Unitarian  Association. 

In  15  vols.  12mo. 

Christian  Disciple.    6  volumes,  8vo. 
Christian  Examiner,  complete  to  1844.    35  vols. 

The  pages  of  this  work  have  been  enriched  by  contributions  from 
the  pens  of  Worcester,  Channing,  Norton,  Greenwood,  Ware,  and 
others. 

Henry  Ware,  D.  D.  An  Inquiiy  into  the  Foundation, 
Evidences,  and  Truths  of  Pveligion.  By  Henry  Ware, 
T>.  Do  late  Hollis  Professor  of  Divinity  in  Hai-vard 
Collefj-e.     2  vols.  12mo. 


JAMES  MUNROE  AND  COMPANY  S  PUBLICATIONS.    13 

Theodore;  or  the  Skeptic's  Conversion.  Translated 
from  the  German  of  De  Wette.  By  James  F.  Clarke. 
2  vols.  12mo. 

Sparks's  Essays  and  Tracts.  A  Collection  of  Es- 
says and  Tracts  in  Theology.  From  various  Authors, 
with  Biographical  and  Critical  Notices.  By  Jared 
Sparks.     6  vols.  12mo. 

Unitarian  Miscellany,  and  Christian  Monitor.  Edited 
by  Kev.  Jared  Sparks,  and  Kev.  F.  W.  P.  Greenwood. 
6  vols.  12mo. 

The  Young  Maiden.  By  Rev.  A.  B.  Muzzey.  Fourth 
Edition. 

*It  will  be  perused  with  advantage  by  the  class  for  whom  it  is 
especially  designed,  and  will  secure  the  favorable  judgment  of  their 
most  judicious  friends.' — London  Inquirer. 

The  Young  Man's  Friend.  By  A.  B.  Muzzey.  18mo. 
Second  Edition. 

Week  Day  Religion.  By  Rev.  Bernard  Whitman. 
18mo. 

Gieseler's  Text  Book  of  Ecclesiastical  History.  By  J. 
C.  I.  Gieseler,  Doctor  of  Philosophy  and  Theology, 
and  Professor  of  Theology  in  Gottingen.  Translated 
from  the  Third  German  Edition  by  Francis  Cunning- 
ham.    3  vols.  8vo. 

Observations  on  the  Bible,  for  the  use  of  Young  Per- 
sons.    12mo. 

Locke  on  the  Epistles.  A  Paraphrase  and  Notes 
on  the  Epistles  of  St.  Paul  to  the  Galatians,  First  and 
Second  Corinthians,  Romans,  and  Ephesians.  To 
Avhich  is  prefixed  an  Essay  for  the  Understanding  of 
St.  Paul's  Epistles,  by  consulting  St.  Paul  himself  By 
John  Locke.     Svo.  pp.  456. 

The  Dial.     Published  quarterly,  16  numbers  now  out. 
Edited  by  R.  W.  Emerson. 
K^  A  few  complete  sets  only  remaining  on  hand. 
2 


14        JAMES    MUNROE    AND    COMPANY'S    PUBLICATIONS. 

JUST  PUBI-ISKED. 

LECTURES 

ON 

CHRISTIAN    DOCTRINE. 

By  Andrew  P.  Peabody,   Pastor  of  the    South  Church, 
Portsmouth.     1  vol.  12mo. 

ENDEAVORS 

AFTER  THE 

CHRISTIAN    LIFE. 

A  Vohuiie  of  Discourses  by  James  Martmeau.      12mo. 

Contexts.  The  Spirit  of  Life  in  Jesus  Christ;  The  Besetting 
God ;  Great  Principles  and  Small  Duties ;  Eden  and  Gethsemane  ; 
Sorrow  no  Sin ;  Christian  Peace ;  Religion  on  False  Pretences ; 
JNIammon  Worship ;  The  Kingdom  of  God  within  us,  Part  I ;  The 
Kingdom  of  God  within  us,  Part  II ;  The  Contentment  of  Sorrow ; 
Immortality ;  The  Communion  of  Saints ;  Christ's  Treatment  of 
Guilt;  The  Strength  of  the  Lonely;  Hand  and  Heart ;  Silence  and 
Meditation  ;  Winter  Worship  ;  The  Great  Year  of  Providence  ;  Christ 
and  the  Little  Child ;  The  Christianity  of  Old  Age  ;  Nothing  Human 
ever  Dies.  — 

'  These  discourses  form  part  of  an  extensive  plan ;  and  may  be  con- 
sidered not  so  much  a  separate  work,  as  an  introduction  to  a  complete 
treatise  on  the  Christian  character  and  life.  Their  object  is  to  awaken 
the  Christian  spirit,  rather  than  to  describe  the  perfect  Christian  life  ; 
and  while  they  inculcate  specific  duties  and  warn  against  specific 
sins,  their  leading  design  is  to  excite  and  strengthen  the  devout  spirit 
that  will  lead  us  always  to  perform  all  duties. 

'  We  recommend  the  volume  to  our  readers  as  the  production  of  an 
enlightened  Christian  mind,  full  of  earnestness  and  power  and  love  of 
souls.  It  was  composed  because  the  author  had  something  to  say  on 
the  highest  subjects  of  human  thought,  because  his  heart  overflows 
wath  sympathy  for  the  ills  of  man,  and  because  he  has  felt  for  himself 
the  blessedness  of  laboring  for  their  removal.  He  is  an  enthusiast ; 
but  an  intelligent  one,  who  does  not  expect  to  remove  social  evils  by 
the  application  of  any  fine-spun  political  system,  but  by  awakening 
in  each  individual  heart  some  mighty  emotion,  that  shall  lead  to  the 
reformation  of  that  individual  life. 

'  The  discourses  on  the  Kingdom  of  God  within  us,  on  Great  Prin- 
ciples and  Small  Duties,  on  Immortality  and  the  Great  Year  of  Provi- 
dence, are  particularly  interesting  and  instructive.' — Monthly  Miscellany. 

LETTERS    ON    EPISCOPACY.     By  Jared    Sparks. 
Second  Edition,  with  large  additions.     1  vol.  12mo. 


JAMES  MUNROE  AND  COMPANY  S  PUBLICATIONS.    15 

NEW  HYMN  BOOK. 

The  Social  Hymn  Book,  consisting  of  Psalms  and 
Hymns,  for  Social  Worship  and  Private  Devotion. 
With  28  pages  music. 

'  It  is  designed  to  supply  the  want  which  is  believed  to  be  increasing, 
of  a  small  and  cheap  Hymn  Book  for  vestry  meetings,  and  for  parishes 
that  are  unable  to  procure  more  expensive  collections.' — The  Preface. 

'  The  collection  contains  3C0  Hymns,  14  Doxologies,  21  Sacred 
tunes.  There  are  somewhat  more  than  130  of  the  Hymns  which  are 
not  found  in  Dr.  Greenwood's,  of  these  a  portion  are  found  in  some  of 
the  other  collections  :  a  part  of  them  are  truly  exquisite  and  beautiful, 
and  ought  to  appear  in  every  collection. 

'  The  hymns  which  ]\Ir.  Robbins  has  introduced,  in  general  do 
credit  to  his  taste  and  reading.  Some  of  those  from  Bishop  Mant's 
Collection  of  Ancient  Hymns  seem  harsh  to  most  readers  on  a  first 
perusal,  but  familiarity  renders  them  highly  attractive  and  stores  the 
heart  with  rich  and  beautiful  sentiments.' — Christian  Register. 

'  In  looking  over  this  work,  we  are  happy  to  recognize  a  number 
of  our  favorite  hymns,  the  omission  of  which  in  other  collections 
we  have  always  regretted.  The  Book  breathes  the  spirit  of  the  con- 
ference room,  and  is  at  the  same  time  well  adapted,  as  it  is  in  part 
intended,  '  for  parishes  that  are  unable  to  procure  more  expensive  col- 
lections.' ' — Salem  Observer. 

'  This  is  an  admirable  selection  of  devotional  hymns,  and  will, 
doubtless,  become  a  favorite  one  for  the  purposes  for  which  it  w^as 
designed.  The  collection  was  made  by  Rev.  Chandler  Robbins,  of 
this  city,  whose  name,  alone,  is  a  sufficient  guaranty  for  its  excel- 
lence. We  hail  this  little  work,  as  one  among  the  signs  we  daily  see, 
of  interest  in  the  work  of  enlivening  the  whole  Church,  and  bringing 
us  all  into  an  active,  visible  cooperation. 

'  We  ought  to  say  in  addition,  that  at  the  close  of  the  book  are 
placed  some  twenty,  or  more,  of  the  most  beautiful  and  popular  tunes 
used  at  social  religious  meetings.' — Christian  World. 

'  We  welcome,  with  the  rest,  the  graceful  little  volume  before  us,  as 
supplying  a  want,  which  has  been  sensibly  felt  in  a  department  of  our 
social  worship,  and  as  well  adapted  to  private  and  domestic  devotion. 
The  excellence  of  its  typographical  execution  invites  attention,  which 
will  be  amply  rewarded  by  its  skillfully  selected  and  arranged  con- 
tents. 

'For  infant  and  feeble  parishes,  '  unable  to  procure  more  expen- 
sive collections ; '  for  the  meetings  of  the  vestry  and  all  other  social 
services  among  Christians  ;  for  the  private  and  domestic  altar  we 
cordially  recommend  the  Selection  before  us.  It  unites  the  indispen- 
sable grace  of  a  Christian  spirit,  by  which  it  is  pervaded,  with  poetic 
beauty :  and  so  entire  is  its  freedom  from  doubtful  or  sectarian  phrase- 
ology, that  it  may  easily  become  the  manual,  and  a  favorite  one  too,  of 
Christians  of  various  denominations.' — Monthly  Misrellany. 

[X^  Already  used  in  several  parishes.  Copies  furnished  to  clergy 
and  others,  for  examination. 


16    JAMES  MUNROE  AND  COMPANY'S  PUBLICATIONS. 


MANUALS  j 


FOR 

SABBATH   SCHOOLS. 

Livermore's  Commentary.    2  vols.     See  page  1. 

A  Catechism  of  Natural  Theology.  By  I.  Nichols, 
D.  D.,  Pastor  of  the  Fkst  Church  in  Portland.  Third 
Edition,  with  additions  and  improvements.  12mo. 
Plates. 

'  Dr.  Nichols  has  prefixed  to  his  work  the  appropriate  motto, '  Every 
house  is  huilded  by  some  man ;  but  he  that  built  all  things  is  God ; ' 
and  the  work  is  a  very  happy  illustration  of  its  motto.  It  is  devoted 
principally  to  an  examination  of  the  human  frame,  and  it  is  shown 
that  the  conformation  of  its  various  parts,  and  their  adaptation  to  the 
purposes  which  they  are  known  to  serve,  could  not  have  happened 
without  the  design  of  an  intelligent  Creator.  It  is  better  adapted  to 
the  comprehension  of  youth  and  common  readers,  than  the  more 
elaborate  and  extended  treatises  of  Paley  and  others  j  and  next  to  the 
Holy  Scriptures,  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  and  useful  fields  of 
contemplation  which  could  be  spread  out  before  them.  If  any  person 
can  peruse  this  little  book  without  feeling  a  kindred  emotion,  and 
forming  a  similar  puipose,  the  fact  would  be  an  affecting  proof  of  the 
alienation  of  the  heart  from  its  Maker.  When  it  is  remembered  that 
Atheism  is  among  the  spreading  errors  of  our  land,  we  see  an  addi- 
tional reason  for  directing  our  youth  to  such  intellectual  pursuits,  as 
will  furnish  the  best  defences  against  this  arch  heresy  ;  and  such  we 
regard  the  contents  of  the  work  under  review.  We  are  glad  that  a 
new  edition  of  the  work  has  been  demanded,  and  that  it  makes  its 
appearance  in  a  style  of  execution  so  worthy  of  its  matter.' — ChHs^ 
tian  Mirror,  Portland,  Me. 

Hints  to  Sunday  School  Teachers,  in  a  series  of 
Familiar  Lectures.  By  Kev.  T.  B.  Fox.  l&rao.  price 
25  cents. 

Allen's  Questions.    Parts  1,  2,  and  3.     18mo. 

Walker's  Service  Book.    i8mo. 

Fox's  Sunday  School  Prayer  Book.    l8mo. 

Child's  Duties  and  Devotions.     iSmo. 

The  Ministry  of  Christ,  with  Questions.  By  Key, 
T.  B.  Fox.     ISmo, 


JAMES    MUNROE    AND    COMPANY'S    PUBLICATIONS.  17 

Peabody's  Sunday  School  Hymn  Book.     l8nio. 

Channing's,  Worcester  Association,  Rhode  Island,  and 
Carpenter's  Catechisms. 

Life  of  the  Savior.     By  Rev.  H.  Ware,  Jr.     18mo. 
See  page  9. 

Scripture  Truths  in  Questions  and  Answers,  for  the 
use  of  Sunday  Schools  and  Families.     18mo.  pp.  75. 

'  The  writer  of  this  little  manual  has  not  attempted  to  do  better 
where  others  have  done  well.  Nor  is  this  simply  another  Sunday 
School  book  —  though  that  would  be  no  objection.  It  is  in  facta 
new  Sunday  School  book.  It  enters  a  province  which  has  heretofore 
been  kept  shut,  at  least  in  the  schools  of  Liberal  Christians  ;  viz.  the 
province  of  doctrine.  *  *  *  With  these  views  we  welcome  this  book. 
Every  question  that  is  apt  to  arise,  concerning  God,  Christ,  Faith, 
Ordinances,  Prayer,  Repentance,  &c.  &c.,  is  answered  by  a  passage  of 
Scripture  ;  and  there  are  very  few  passages  that  do  not  contain  fair 
answers  and  sufficient  exposition  for  the  young.  The  controverted 
and  most  difficult  texts  are  more  fully  explained,  yet  with  great  sim- 
plicity, in  notes,  and  also  an  Appendix.  In  the  hands  of  well  in- 
structed and  judicious  teachers,  no  one,  we  think,  would  doubt  the 
utility  of  such  a  manual.  In  families,  to  be  used  by  parents,  it  is 
excellent.  Indeed  for  general  use  we  feel  free  to  commend  it.  The 
plan  and  execution  as  a  whole  we  like,  and  hope  a  fair  trial  will  be 
given  it.''— Monthly  Miscellany. 

'  We  are  ignorant  of  the  name  of  the  Author  of  this  little  book,  but 
we  think  he  has  done  good  service  to  the  cause  of  religious  instruc- 
tion. We  are  not  in  favor  of  the  multiplication  of  manuals  for  the 
use  of  Sunday  Schools,  but  the  arrangement  and  plan  of  this  work, 
are  such  as  to  make  it  a  valuable  assistant  to  any  parent  and  Sunday 
School  Teacher.' — Christian  Register. 

The  Sunday  School  Guide.     By  A  B.   Muzzey. 

ISmo. 

J.  M.  &  Co.  being  engaged  in  the  publication  of 
Juvenile  Works,  can  offer  to  individuals  and  others, 
selecting  for  Sabbath,  School,  and  District  Libraries, 
superior  advantages.  And  they  keep  constantly  on 
hand  the  largest  assortment  of  Juveniles  to  be  found, 
embracing  all  the  works  by  IMaiy  Howitt,  Mrs.  Ellis, 
Aunt  Kitty,  Charlotte  Ehzabeth,  the  Abbotts,  and  others; 
all  of  which  will  be  sold  at  a  LARGE  DISCOUNT, 
from  the  trade  prices. 

Q^  3000  volumes  now  on  hand, 
2# 


/ 


18         JAMES    MUNROE    AND    COMPANY'S    PUBLICATIONS, 


MANUALS 


DAILY  DEVOTION.. 

Hours  for  Heaven :  a  small  but  choice  Selection  of 
Prayers,  from  Eminent  Divines  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land. Intended  as  a  Devotional  Companion  for  Young 
Persons.    _32mo.  gilt  edges. 

'  This  is  a  little  manual  of  devotion,  consisting  of  prayers  and 
meditations  for  each  day  in  the  week,  with  additions  of  prayers  for 
particular  occasions. 

'  To  the  prayers  are  added  many  miscellaneous  pieces  in  prose  and 
verse,  suited  for  aids  to  devotion ;  and,  lastly,  several  weighty  religious 
aphorisms. 

'  There  are  here  and  there  forms  of  invocation,  and  single  expres- 
sions, from  which  we  dissent;  but  the  spirit,  and,  with  few  exceptions, 
the  language,  is  such  that  we  do  not  fear  to  recommend  the  book  to 
serious  Christians  of  all  denominations.' — Christian  Register. 

'  A  choice  selection  of  prayers  from  eminent  Divines  which  is 
designed  as  a  devotional  companion.  It  is  an  elegant  little  volume, 
nicely  printed  and  bound,  and  its  contents  will  be  very  acceptable  to 
any  that  may  read  them  occasionally,  as  designed.' — Hoitghman. 

Farr's  Prayers.  Forms  of  Morning  and  Evening 
Prayer,  composed  for  the  use  of  Famihes.  By  Jona- 
than Farr.     16mo.  pp.  174. 

•  The  '  Forms  of  Morning  and  Evening  Prayer'  are  among  the  best 
that  have  come  under  our  notice,  —  at  once  calm  and  fervent,  scriptu- 
ral and  rational ;  for  which  reason  we  doubt  not  that  they  will  find 
general  favor  among  those  who  are  accustomed  to  avail  themselves  of 
such  helps  to  private  or  domestic  devotion.  The  volume  is  veiy 
neatly  printed  and  done  up,  and  contains  prayers  for  every  day  in  a 
fortnight,  and  eight  morning  and  evening  prayers  for  any  day  in  the 
week,  and  a  great  variety  of  occasional  prayers  for  families,  and  for 
individuals.' —  Christian  Exaininer. 

Sewell's  Daily  Devotions,  for  a  Family,  with  occa- 
sional Prayers.     Second  Edition.     12mo. 

Greenwood's  Chapel  Liturgy ;  collected  principally 
from  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer.  Fifth  Edition; 
with  Family  Prayers  and  Sei-vices,  and  other  Addi- 
tions.    ByF.  W.  P.  Greenwood.     12mo. 


JAMES  MUNROE  AND  COMPANY'S  PUBLICATIONS.    19 

Brooks's  Prayers.  A  Family  Prayer  Book,  and  Pri- 
vate Manual ;  to  which  are  added,  Forms  for  Pveligious 
Societies  and  Schools,  with  a  Collection  of  Hymns. 
By  Charles  Brooks,  Minister  of  the  Third  Church  in 
Hingham,  Massachusetts.     12mo. 

,  '  Both,  as  to  its  substance  and  form,  it  is  a  work  of  an  excellent 
design,  and  well  calculated  to  answer  its  design ;  and  considering  how 
much  it  is  wanted  among  us,  and  how  much  good  it  may  do,  we  are 
happy  in  having  this  opportunity  to  recommend  it  most  cordially.' — 
Christian  Disciple. 

Bowring's  Matins  and  Vespers ;  with  Hymns  and 
Occasional  Devotional  Pieces.  By  John  Bowring, 
London.     18mo.     Price  50  cents. 

'  There  is  in  them  a  frequent  display,  or  rather  the  presence  without 
the  display,  of  a  tenderness  and  pathos,  an  elegant  simplicity  and 
devotional  feeling,  which  win  upon  the  heart,  and  sometimes  touch  it 
as  with  strains  from  unearthly  worlds.  There  is  no  drafna,  no  tale, 
no  controversy  in  these  poems  j  they  are  truly  '  Matins  and  Vespers.' 
They  charm  by  their  modesty  and  sensibility,  and  by  a  deep  venera- 
tion of,  and  an  ardent  expression  of  gratitude  toward,  our  Almighty 
Creator,  Preserver,  and  Benefactor.  Many  of  the  pictures  in  them  of 
the  love  and  compassion  of  God  toward  his  creatures  are  truly  beau- 
tiful and  affecting.' — Christian  Observer,  London. 

Furness's  Domestic  Worship.  By  W.  H.  Furness, 
Pastor  of  the  First  Congregational  Unitarian  Church 
in  Philadelphia.      Second  Edition.     12mo. 

*  The  prayers  are  divided  into  sections  and  are  not  specially  appro- 
priated to  the  several  days  of  the  week;  that  opportunity  may  be 
given  for  selection,  omission,  and  variety.' — The  Preface. 

The  Social  Hymn  Book ;  consisting  of  Psalms  and 
Hymns  for  Social  Worship  and  Private  Devotion- 
Compiled  by  Rev.  Chandler  Pvobbins.     18mo. 

Devotional  Exercises.  Compiled  by  J.  T.  Bucking- 
ham.    18mo.     Third  Edition. 

'  We  like  this  little  volume  extremely.  The  plan  is  happy  and  it  is 
executed  with  exceedingly  good  judgment  and  taste.' — N.  A.  Review. 

'  This  unpretending  little  volume  is  compiled  from  the  Book  of 
Proverbs,  the  Book  of  Psalms,  and  the  Gospels.  The  compiler  has 
executed  his  task  with  excellent  judgment,  and  we  most  heartily 
recommend  it.' — Salem  Observer. 


20    JAMES  MUNROE  AND  COMPANY  S  PUBLICATIONS. 


HISTORY 


HAWAIIAN  OR  SANDWICH  ISLANDS, 

Embracing  their  Antiquities,  Legends,  Discovery  by 
Europeans  in  the  Sixteenth  Century,  Rediscovery  by 
Cook,  with  their  Civil,  Rehgious,  and  Pohtical  History, 
from  the  earhest  period  to  the  present  time.  By 
James  Jackson  Jarves,  Member  of  the  Am.  Oriental 
Society.     With  Maps  and  Plates.     8vo. 

'  The  book  is  carefully  prepared  and  furnishes  a  highly  attractive 
narrative.  The  ground  over  which  the  author  has  passed  has  been 
almost  entirely  untrod  before  him,  and  the  history  will  be  quite  new, 
we  believe,  to  almost  all  readers.  It  is  a  history  full  of  its  passages 
of  romance,  —  for  these  islands  have  not  been  exempted  from  the 
stirring  exoitements  of  larger  communities.' — Boston  Daily  Advertiser. 

'  The  work  bears  the  marks  of  great  attention  and  patient  research ; 
the  narrative  is  easy,  flowing,  and  spirited,  in  a  style  adapted  to  the 
subject.' — Philadelphia  Christian  Observer. 

*  '  Mr.  J.  has  produced  an  excellent  and  permanently  valuable  book.* 
— Boston  Recorder. 

'  It  supplies  a  deficiency  in  our  literature,  and  is  finished  in  such  a 
manner  that  it  will  not  have  to  be  done  again.  This  work  will  be  a 
favorite ;  it  affords  information  not  easily  found  elsewhere,  and  if 
attainable  at  all.  only  to  be  collected  by  great  labor,  and  from  a  variety 
of  sources.' — Baptist  Memorial  and  Monthly  Chronicle. 

N.    HAWTHORNE'S    TWICE    TOLD    TALES.     2 

vols.  12mo.      Cloth. 

*  A  whole  volume  of  collected  Miscellanies  of  great  merit  is  before 
us.  We  mean  Mr.  Hawthorne's  '  Twice  Told  Tales,'  which  will  one 
day  or  other  be  naturalized  into  our  Library  of  Romance,  if  truth, 
fancy,  pathos,  and  originality,  have  any  longer  powder  to  diffuse  a 
reputation.  He  has  caught  the  true  fantastic  spirit,  which  somewhere 
or  other  exists  in  every  society,  be  it  ever  so  utilitarian  and  practical, 
linking  the  seen  to  the  unseen,  the  matter  of  fact  to  the  imaginative. 
As  a  recounter  of  mere  legends,  ]Vtr.  Hawthorne  claims  high  praise. 
We  cannot  too  heartily  commend  this  book  as  the  best  addition  that 
has  been  made  to  what  rnay  be  called  the  Fairy  Library,  which  has 
been  made  for  many  years.' — London  Foreign  and  Colonial  Quarterly 
Review. 

'To  this  little  work  we  would  say,  '  Live  ever,  sweet,  sweet  book.' 
It  comes  from  the  hand  of  a  man  of  genius.  Every  thing  about  it  has 
the  freshness  of  morning  and  of  May.  A  calm,  thoughtful  face  seems 
to  be  looking  at  you  from  every  page.' — N.  A.  Review. 


JAMES    MUNROE    AND    COMPANY'S    PUBLICATIONS.         21 


SCENES  AND  SCENERY 

IN    THE 

SANDWICH  ISLANDS, 

And  a  trip  through  Central  America:  being  olDsei-va- 
tions  from  my  Note-book  during  the  years  1837-1842. 
By  James  J.  Jarves,  Author  of  the  History  of  the 
Sandwich  Islands,  &c.,  embellished  with  Map  and  4 
plates. 

*Mr.  Jarves  has  enjoyed  peculiar  advantages  for  acquiring  an  accu- 
rate knowledge  of  the  past  and  present  condition  of  this  people,  their 
manners  and  customs,  and  the  natural  features  and  resources  of  the 
islands  ;  and  of  the§e  he  has  fully  availed  himself  He  seems  to  have 
written  without  fear  or  prejudice,  desirous  of  doing  ample  justice  to 
missionary  effort,  and  exposing  the  more  than  savage  outrage  of  for- 
eign residents  and  visiters,  some  of  them  high  in  official  station,  with 
fearlessness. 

'  From  the  two  works  of  Mr.  J.,  a  more  accurate  idea  of  the  islands 
may  be  obtained,  than  from  any  other  source.  There  is  much  liveli- 
ness in  his  narrative  ;  and  an  occasional  imperfection  in  the  structure 
of  a  sentence,  or  the  inexact  use  of  a  word,  shows  that  he  did  not 
write  in  fetters.  In  his  '  Sketches,'  particularly,  he  has  managed  so 
to  intermingle  the  offensive  and  the  ludicrous,  the  beautiful  and  the 
economical,  as  to  portray  well  the  peculiar  transition  state  of  this 
people.  Whoever  wov;ld  find  an  account  of  the  Sandwich  Islands, 
both  amusing  and  instructive,  will  not. fail  to  read  Mr.  J.'s  books.' — 
Christian  Review. 

'  The  book  before  us,  written  by  Mr.  James  Jackson  Jarves,  is  illus- 
trative of  the  recent  progress  of  religion,  science,  and  refinement  in 
that  most  interesting  group  —  the  Sandwich  Islands. 

'  We  rarely  read  a  book  of  this  class  from  beginning  to  end  :  to  the 
volume  before  us,  howev^er,  we  have  paid  this  compliment.  It  con- 
tains many  provincialisms,  and,  strange  to  say,  a  few  grammatical 
errors  ;  yet  we  like  the  spirit  in  which  it  is  written,  and  the  vividness 
with  which  the  author  paints  novel  scenes  in  the  North  Pacific' — 
New  World. 

SONGS  AND  BALLADS. 

Translated  from  Uhland,  Korner,  Bln-ger,  and  other 
German  Lyric  Poets,  with  notes.  By  diaries  T. 
Brooks. 

•  In  this  volume  we  have  presented  to  us  a  string  of  beautiful  pearls. 

*  The  typographical  execution  of  the  work  is  good,  and  the  pub- 
lishers merit  commendation.  We  think  the  volume  well  worthy  a 
place  among  the  selected  poetry  of  the  day.' — Jmerican  Etiedic. 


22        JAMES    MUNROE    AND    COMPANY'S    PUBLICATIONS. 


MISCELLANEOUS    BOOKS. 

CARLYLE'S  MISCELLANIES.    4  vols. 

SARTOR  RESARTUS.     Fourth  American  Edition. 
HEROES  OF  HISTORY.    1  vol. 
FRENCH  REVOLUTION.    2  vols. 
WILHELM  MEISTER.     3  vols. 
PAST  AND  PRESENT.     1  vol. 
CHARTISM.     1  vol. 

GERMAN    ROMANCE:    Specimens    of   its    chief 
authors ;    with   Biographical   and    Critical   Notices.     By   Thomas 
Carlyle.     2  vols.  12mo. 
ESSAYS  BY  R.  W.  EMERSON.    1  vol. 

Contents.     History;    Self    Reliance;     Compensation;    Spiritual 
Laws ;    Love  ;    Friendship  ;    Prudence  ;    Heroism  ;   The    Over   Soul  j 
Circles  ;  Intellect ;  Art. 
NATURE.     By  R.  W.  Emerson. 

LIFE   OF   CRABBE  THE  POET.     By  his  Son.     12mo. 
THE  HAMLETS,  A  TALE.     By  Miss  Martineau.    2d  Ed.  ISmo. 
PIERPONT'S  POEMS,  now  first  collected.     16mo. 
POLITE    LITERATURE    IN  GERMANY.     Translated  by  Geo. 

W.  Haven.     IGmo. 
COLERIDGE'S  CONFESSIONS  OF  AN  INQUIRING  SPIRIT. 
AIDS  TO  REFLECTION.     By  S.  T.  Coleridge.    8vo. 
TUCKER'S  LIGHT  OF  NATURE  PURSUED,  with  a  Memoir. 
4  vols.  8vo. 

GUIZOT'S   ESSAY  ON  THE   INFLUENCE  AND    CHARAC- 

TER  OF  WASHINGTON.     16mo. 
GREENWOOD'S  SERMONS,  with  a  Memoir.     2  vols.  12mo. 

STEWART'S  ELEMENTS  OF  THE  HUMAN  MIND.    Svo.  4th 
Edition. 

CHANNING'S  "WORKS,  Edited  by  the  Author.     6  vols.  12mo. 

SUNDAY  LIBRARY  FOR  YOUNG  PERSONS.    4  vols.  18mo. 

HOLMES'S  ANNALS  OF  AMERICA.     2  vols.  Svo. 

HISTORY  OF  HARVARD  UNIVERSITY.     By  B.  Peirce.  Svo. 

MARY  HOWITT'S,  STRIVE  AND  THRIVE. 

"  "  HQPE  ON!  HOPE  EVER. 

SOWING  AND  REAPING. 

WHO  SHALL  BE  GREATEST? 
"  "  TALES  IN  PROSE. 

TALES  IN  VERSE. 

TALES  IN  NATURAL  HISTORY. 


JAMES  MUNROE  AND  COMPANY  S  CATALOGUE. 


23 


STANDARD    WORKS 


Bancroft's  U.  S.    3  vols. 

Sparks's  Life  of  Washinglon.    1  vol. 

"      American  Biography.     10  vols. 
Franklin's  Works.     10  vols. 
Prescotl's  Ferdinand  and  Isabella.  3  v. 

*'  Mexico.    3  vols. 

Burke's  Works.    9  vols. 
Stephens's  Central  America.    2  vols. 

"         Yucatan.    2  vols. 

"  Arabia  Petra3.     2  vols. 

"  Greece,  &c.     2  vols. 

Story's  Writinnrs.     1  vol. 
Shakspeare.     Various  Editions. 
Milton's  Poetical  Works.    2  vols. 

"         Prose  Works.     2  vols. 
Cowper's  Poems.    2  vols. 
Longfellow's  Poems.     3  vols. 
Encyclopedia  Americana.     13  vols. 
Miss  Bremer's  Works.     1  vol. 
Edgeworth's  "  10  vols. 

Hannah  More's     "  2  vols. 

Sherwood's  "  8  vols. 

Butler's  Works.    2  vols. 
Spenser's      "  5  vols. 

Channing's  "  6  vols. 

Henry  Ware's  "Works. 
Charlotte  Elizabeth's  Works. 


Greenwood's  Works. 
Pollen's  "        5  vols. 

Heman's  "        .5  vols. 

Whiitier,  Tennyson,  Leigh  Hunt,  Scott, 

Barry  Cornwall,  and  Lowell's  Poems. 
Burns's  Works.     1  vol. 
Aiken's  British  Poets.     8vo. 
Bunyau's  Pilgrim's  Progress. 
Lamb's  Complete  Works.     8vo. 
Herbert's  Poems  and  Remains.     2  vols. 
Latrobe's  Scripture  Illustrations.    4to, 
D'Aubigne's  Reformation.    3  vols. 
Neander's  Church  History. 
Bible  in  Spain. 

Milman's  History  of  Christianity. 
Buckminster's  Works.     2  vols.     12mo. 
Life  of  .Jean  Paul  Richter.     2  vols. 
Peabody's  Doctrinal  Discourses.    12mo. 
Allison's    History  of   Europe.    4  vols. 

8vo. 
Carlyle's  Works.     14  vols.  12mo. 
Poets  and  Poetry  of  America. 
Buckminster's  Works.     2  vols. 
Walter  Scott's  Novels,  Poems,  and  Life, 

uniform.     39  vols. 
Paley's  Works.     6  vols. 
Young's  Old  English  Prose  Writers.  9  v. 


MRS.    SIGOURNEY'S 
PLEASANT  MBIORIES  OF  PLEASANT  LANDS.   M  Ed.  with  additions. 

16nio.      Illustrated  with  two  beautiful  Engravings.     Cloth. 

'  It  has  all  the  charms  which  characterize  the  works  of  William 
Howitt,  besides  its  poetical  illustrations  of  some  of  the  most  romantic 
spots  known  over  the  wide  earth.' — Christian  Register. 

'  It  contains  a  variety  of  articles,  suggested  by  a  recent  visit  to  Great 
Britain,  in  poetry  and  prose,  but  all  of  a  superior  order,  and  all  calcu- 
lated to  enchain  the  attention  of  the  reader,  —  and  while  the  beautiful 
description  of  scenes  abroad  tends  to  enlighten,  the  elegant  language 
and  the  elevated  sentiments  must  purify  the  heart.' 

NEAT  MINIATURE  YOLUMEsTlN  CLOTH,  GILT  EDGES. 

Channing's  Self- Culture;  Hours  for  Heaven;  Pure  Gold;  Sentiment 
of  Flowers :  Hemans,  Wordsworth,  Campbell,  and  Bowrings  Poetical 
Works;  Casket  of  Four  Jewels ;  Bible  and  the  Closet;  Marriage  Ring; 
Daily  Manna ;  Elizabeth,  or  the  Exiles  of  Siberia ;  Vicar  of  Wakefield ; 
Goldsmith's  Essays;  Gems  from  American  Poets:  Hannah  More's 
Private  Devotion  ;  Token  of  the  Heart ;  Paul  and  Virginia ;  Flower 
Vase;  Gems  from  Female  Poets;  Scott's  Poetical  Works,  3  vols. 5 
Coleridge's  Poetical  Works ;  Barton's  Poems ;  Remember  Me ;  Queen 
of  Flowers. 


JAMES  MUNUOE  AND  COMPANY, 

Publishers,  Booksellers,  and  Stationers, 

134  WASHINGTON  STREET, 
BOSTON, 

&EEP    CONSTANTLY    ON    HAND    A    LARGE    ASSORTMENT    OF 

MISCELLANEOUS    BOOKS,    SUITABLE    FOR    CITY, 

TOWN,    AND    VILLAGE    LIBRARIES. 

[XT^PBRSONAL    ATTENTION    PAID    TO    ALL    ORDERS    ExNTRUSTED    TO   THEIR    CARE. 

SCHOOL    BOOKS,    ALL    THE    VARIETIES    IN    USE    IN    THE 
UNITED    STATES. 

Books  imported  to  order,  in  large  or  small  quantities, 
by  every  steamer ;  and  answers  to  orders  received  in 
thirty  to  sixty  days.  Orders  from  incorporated  institu- 
tions, executed  free  of  duty. 

Particular  attention  paid  to  the  furnishing  of  Juvenile 
Libraries,  either  Sabbath  or  Day  School,  and  as  low  as 
can  be  procured  any  where  in  the  city. 

Merchants,  School  Committees,  and  Teachers,  supplied 
with  Books  and  Stationeiy  at  a  large  discount  from  Trade 
Prices. 

J.  M.  &  Co.  are  also  publishers  of 

THE 

AMERICAN    ALMANAC, 

AND 

REPOSITORY  OF  USEFUL  KNOWLEDGE. 

Edited  b}'-  Francis  BoAven.    14  volumes  now  ready.    Back 
volumes  supplied. 

George  Coolidge,  Printer,  57  Washington  Street,  Boston. 


Date  Due 


TTT? 


'4ii 


H 


